Jack Frost x Reader: The Guardians' Guardian
by AzureCollinger
Summary: You, (f/n) (l/n), have been chosen by Mim (The Man in the Moon) to protect the Guardians. A new threat is approaching, and its more dangerous than any the Guardians have ever faced. But when you and Jack get too close for Mim's liking, the game plan is changed. What happens when Bunny is kidnapped by an unknown entity? Will your cover be blown, will Mim let you be with Jack?
1. Chapter 1

**(e/c) = eye color**

 **(h/l/c) = hair length/color**

 **(f/n) = first name**

 **(l/n) = last name**

 **Whelp, there ya go. The basics. First ever 'xreader' fanfic! Cut me some slack, but feel free to comment and critique! XD**

 **I own nothing but the plot, and I gueeessss the idea for the Man in the Moon? Oh well. People know who they own and I know I don't own Rise of the Guardians. Feel free to comment!**

It hurt... There was too much pain... Everywhere there was a tingling, itching, aching, pain... _Make it stop..._ All around the clearing there was crimson, the virgin snow christened a bloody martyr by the bodies lying scattered in it... There was no sound, there was no need for sound, you were dying anyway... You had made your goodbyes, your friends were safe, and those evil bastards were gone... You had fought them off, all those years of training finally paying there dues... Gazing up at the moon, you resign to your fate... The snow embraces you... Your (h/l/c) is fanned out beneath you... You sigh your last... The last thing your hear is a soft crunch of snow under feet, the last thing you see a pair of clear blue eyes...

Light shines on your closed eyelids, dragging you from the depths of your subconscious. Slowly, you open your (e/c) eyes, gazing out at the place you now occupy. It wasn't a room, more like an expanse going on and on. You lay in a bed, all white with a silver wrought iron frame. The sheets glisten softly in the light, silky and clean. A simple nightstand sits next to the bed, revealing the source of the light as an ancient oil lamp.

A few feet away, an old Victorian wing-backed chair, also white, sits occupied by a strange looking man. His attention is elsewhere, not noticing your recent return to the world of the conscious. Moving quietly so as not to disturb him, you raise yourself into a sitting position. Form your angle on the bed, you can easily examine his profile. His face is strong in its contours, yet softened. The curve of his brow and the sides of his mouth are gently defined, like he had seen a lot of laughter and felt a lot of pain throughout his life. His complexion was pale, even his lips. Not waxy but almost ashy, like the surface of the moon on certain nights. His eyes were interesting, all a milky white as if he was blind yet clear and full of wisdom, as if he was a man who had seen much amd knew much was to come. His hair was silvery, matching his skin well in there being no color at all on the man. You clear your throat softly, alerting him to your presence. He turns to you, pale eyes full of kindness.

"Oh, good! You've decided to come around, (f/n)," he says. You look back at him, startled.

"Holy shit. How do you know my name?" You question, "Who are you? Where am I? What-"

"Woah, slow down there little one," he chuckles. "I cannot answer all of those at once. I am the Man in the Moon. You may call me Mim, or Manny. I live here, on the Moon. I watch over the Earth below." He gestures to a break in the horizon. The ground drops of at a ledge, providing a spectacular view of the Earth, its lazy rotation drawing your eye. The clouds were slowly drifting across the atmosphere, creating whimsical patterns across multicolored surface. You look back to Mim, catch him gazing at you fondly as a proud father would his duaghter. "I saw your struggle, (f/n). You were so brave. The spark in you is great, I see a great destiny for you." You remember the fight, the blood, your death. You gasp.

"I- I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Currently, yes. But It will not last long. I will send you back when we are done."

"Done with what?"

"With your cider, of course." You look to the nightstand to see a softly steaming cup of cider sitting there. You gingerly pick up the cup, careful not to spill any of the hot liquid on the bedsheets. Taking a sip, you discover its blend of apple and cinnamon. Taking another, you watch Mim stand and walk over to the bed, sitting at the foot of it and patting your blanket-covered ankle.

"We have much to discuss, (f/n) (l/n)." Gazing up at him, he's a tall man even when sitting, you send him a questioning eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"As I've said, (f/n), I see great strength and promise in you. You fight for others, not for yourself, and never stop until the battle is won. You're fierce, full of pride and bravery. The world needs a heart like yours. I would like you to become something special for me. Come here, let me show you something." He gets up, walking around the bed and gesturing for you to follow. Getting up, you find yourself in the clothes you wore before you died. _At least I'm not naked._

Following closely behind Mim, you come up to five pedestals, each topped with a, of course, white marble figurine. First, a large, bearded man with a saber in each hand. His eyes are large, looking wonderingly out of a balding face. "This is North, he is the Guardian of Wonder. You may remember him as 'Santa Claus'." Your eyes widen slightly. That was Santa? _Seemed kind of like he was missing jolly-old-fat-guy part of the deal._ Mim moved to the next figure. "Toothiana, the Tooth Fairy and Guardian of Memories." She looked like a cross between a hummingbird and a kindly mother. Most of her body was covered in feathers and she was holding a sort of cylinder in her hand. "Next we have the Easter Bunny, Bunnymund, Guardian of Hope." This statue looked like a giant kangaroo with a fluffy bunny tail. In one hand the creature held a boomarang for some reason and an egg in the other. You glance questioningly at Mim. _Seriously?_

Not noticing your gaze, he moves on to a much smaller figurine with wild hair and a wide, kind face. Around him and coming from his hands shot little streams of something you couldn't identify. "This is Sandman, the Guardian of Dreams." You nodded, it made sense you guessed. _The Sandman, dreams, duh dipshit._ There was one last figurine, and you seemed drawn to it. "And lastly, yet not least," said Mim, " this is Jack Frost. He is Guardian of Fun. He is considerably new to the Guardians, yet not much older than you in physical age." This figure was easily identified as a teenage boy, dressed in a hoodie and old tattered pants. In his right hand he held a staff, and oddly shaped crook at the top. In his other palm sat a snowflake, intricate and delicate. His hair was messy, and his smirk was mischievous giving his handsome face a playful tilt. But it was his eyes that caught you. They seemed familiar somehow, but you couldn't think of how. "These are the Five Guardians. They keep the innocent children of the world safe from the terrors that they face." You look up at Mim, waiting to see how this was relevant to you.

"They guard faithfully and are irreplaceable. But, there is something coming. The Guardians alone cannot defeat it, they themselves are in danger. That is where you come in, (f/n)." He looks at you, his milky gaze boring inti your own (e/c) one. Your face must have given away your bewilderment, because he smiled and laid a patronly hand on your shoulder. "You, my dear (f/n), are the one I am appointing the Guardian of the Guardians."


	2. Chapter 2

Hiii! I guess I'll just put my description up here! AAaanywho, This is a continuation of A Guardian's Guardian (ooobviously)! I don't know how often I'll update, but I have a whole TWO WEEKS for fall break starting today and I am bound to get SOMETHING done. I don't own The ROTG characters, you belong to you, story belongs to me, and sleep apparently hates me. Life sucks sometimes, ya know? Enjoy!

* * *

 **Recently, in A Guardian's Guardian**

 **"They guard faithfully and are irreplaceable. But, there is something coming. The Guardians alone cannot defeat it, they themselves are in danger. That is where you come in, (f/n)." He looks at you, his milky gaze boring into your own (e/c) one. Your face must have given away your bewilderment, because he smiled and laid a patronly hand on your shoulder. "You, my dear (f/n), are the one I am appointing the Guardian of the Guardians."**

~PART 2~

"(f/n)?"

"(f/n)."

"*sigh*" Reaching out, Mim gently shakes your shoulder. You don't respond. He shakes you harder. You stare into space. Taking his hand from your unresponsive shoulder, he snaps his fingers in your face. Blinking, you shake your head, clearing your head of shit it was filled with.

"Sorry. I just thought I heard you say that you want me to become a Guardian."

"I did. I chose you, (f/n)."

"B-But why me?"

"Were you not listening earlier? There is a fierce strength and heart in you, (f/n). That is why I need you to become the Guardian of the Guardians." Looking into his white eyes with your own (e/c) ones, you see the truth and certainty in them. Still doubtful, you turn and walk back to the bed. Taking a seat at the foot of it, you put your head into your hands, your (h/l/c) hair falling around you. You rub your temples thoroughly, hoping to massage the inconceivable concept into your brain.

You'd grown up knowing about the Guardians, their stories and adventures were a big part of your childhood. You'd never met any of them, but you knew deep down they were real. Even as a teenager in high school, you had faith. But the fact that there was PROOF of their existence, including the fact that you had to WATCH OVER THEM, was a little fucking overwhelming. _Just a little._

Moving your (e/c) gaze from your jean-clad knees to Mim, you finally speak. "Are you sure Mim? Do you really want me?"

"Yes, child," he says, "I choose you." With that, you feel a pringly sensation all over your body. Like electricity running beneath your skin, you find your hair raising on your arms. Your vision flickers, your breath momentarily stuttering, and you shiver. Mim moves closer to you, sitting next to you on the bed and wrapping an arm around your quaking shoulders. "It's alright, little one. It will stop soon." After a few more minutes of the electricity and shivers, you finally stop. Looking up at Mim, you find the world much clearer.

The colors are crisper, more defined and fuller and richer. _Coolio, technicolor._ The sounds and smells around you are amplified, as well. You easily hear Mim's breathing and heartbeat next to you. The smell of the cider on the nightstand sharp and strong to your now sensitive nose. Mim smelled of vanilla and old paper, not an unpleasant combination. You feel woozy, senses on overload, and waiver in your perch on the bed. Holding you tighter, Mim waits for you to steady your body. "Yes, the effects are stunning for a moment, but you will adapt. You're quite the survivor," he says.

"Wh-What just happened?"

"My dear (f/n), I have just officially appointed you as the Guardians' Guardian."

"Oh," you mutter, "nifty."

"I have given you many abilities. The hightened senses should be helpful, and you might be pleased to know your strength and endurance have been increased significantly. A special gift, you can now shift your shape to any animal you wish." This sparked your interest. _Does that mean I can fly? Sweeeet!_ "Also, if you ever need to hide, you can become completely invisible to that person. You will still be affected by the elements: you will have a shadow, make footprints, and can still be seen by others. You are not restricted by bodily needs anymore. No want for food or oxygen or sleep will burden you. You still can," he chuckles, seeing your crestfallen face at the prospect of no more sweets. "What do you think, (f/n)?"

"Well, this is pretty awesome and all, but how am I supposed to 'protect them'," you put up air quotes as you say the words.

"All I want you to do is keep an eye on them, if they find out that I assigned a girl to watch out for them, they won't be happy." _Mental note: Charges have large egos._ "Try to keep them out of danger."

"But what about that dangerous thing coming? Am I going to have to face it by myself?" The thought makes you shudder. _If the Guardians can't face it on their own, how can I manage to do it?_

"You will become much stronger by the time it comes. They will fight it as well, but you will keep hidden. Your secrecy is most important."

"Oh... but what if they DO find me?"

"Then we will solve that if it comes to it." His tone is resolute. It kind of bums you out, not being able to meet the other Guardians. It had always been a secret wish of yours to ACTUALLY MEET Santa Claus. But, if Mim says it has to be this way, then it has to be this way. _Dammit._ "Come, you must go. Any longer and your body won't last." This jolts you out of your reverie. Grabbing your hand, Mim starts to waiver around the edges, like a mirage. Your eyes close as you fall into his arms, the sensation of falling pulling you back into the darkness of your subconscious.

Coming back to your body, you find that you no longer lie in the snow. Confused and dazed by the jump to reality, you strain to sit up. Half-way to a sitting position, you find a hand blocking you. Looking up, you find your (e/c) eyes connected to a pair of familiar, mischievous eyes.

"Woah there, snowflake. What's the rush?"

 _Shit._


	3. Chapter 3

(s/c)= skin color  
DISCLAIMER ALERT: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE ROTG CHARACTERS (if I did, things would have been...interesting ) YOU BELONG TO YOU, I BELONG TO ME AND SO DOES THIS FIC! Enjoy, snowflake

* * *

 **Previously in the Guardians' Guardian**

 **Coming back to your body, you find that you no longer lie in the snow. Confused and dazed by the jump to reality, you strain to sit up. Half-way to a sitting position, you find a hand blocking you. Looking up, you find your (e/c) eyes connected to a pair of familiar, mischievous eyes.**

 **"Woah there, snowflake. What's the rush?"**

 _ **Shit.**_

~Part 3~

You look up at Jack Frost, a stream of cuss words coming to mind. _He wasn't supposed to see me! I'm sooo screwed! Fuck!_ You were lying half on the ground, half in Jack's arms. The clearing was washed clean with new snow, the bodies just mere lumps on the ground. Jack was holding you with a tight but gentle grip around the shoulders and another hand against your abdomen, keeping you seated. He looked just like he the figurine, if not better. His hair was messy, a tumble of silvery white reminding you of twinkling snow under moonlight. His clear blue eyes held a glint of mischief, his lopsided grin a certain spark of fun.

His face was waaay too close, you could feel the blush stain your (s/c) cheeks. He wasn't supposed to even know you existed, let alone HOLD YOU IN HIS DAMNED ARMS! Then you remember one of your gifts from Mim. _If I can just distract him..._

"Ummm..."

"And she speaks!" He chuckles.

Glowering, you sit up fully, dislodging his arm and removing his hand. "I-I lost something in the snow, an-"

"Was it your manners? I'm not sure I can help you find those." He grins, as if his comment was extremely funny. You full on glare at him, causing his smile to faulter.

"Well, if you insist, my name is (f/n). Don't expect anything else."

"You-you can hear...me? A-and you can...see me?"

You roll your eyes at his profound amazement. "Yes, Mr. Frost, I can see you and hear you. I'm not stupid." This brings around quite an amusing expression from the chilly boy. His jaw goes slack, eyes widen, and his arms fall to his sides as he just stares at you. Smirking at his shocked face, you say "Now, can you help me find something? Its really small, but shiny and is probably buried somewhere in your snow." He starts, shaking his head with an amazed smile. He looks at you, a curious wonder and happiness in his eyes.

"Sure, I'm king at snowy Hide and Seek, after all." You both stand up, him turning away from you and starting to comb the ground. You bound as quietly as you can to the edge of the clearing. Once safely in the shelter of the trees, you concetrate on trying to become invisible. It was easier than you thought. All you had to do was think _'Make me invisible, damn it!'_ And voila! You were an invisible (f/n). Pretty slick, if you did say so yourself. All you had to do was make sure Jack didn't notice your foot- _FUCK_ he noticed.

"(f/n)! F/n)! (F/N)!" His calls rang around the wooded clearing. Looking back to where you were standing earlier, he follows your darting tracks to the trees. _SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT_ You scramble up the tree you were hiding behind, making sure not to make a noise or _any more damned tracks._ The clouds covered the moon, giving you the advantage of no shadow.

Securing yourself on a high branch not covered in snow, you anxiously watch as Jack comes to a halt at the base of the tree. He peers up at the bare branched tree, as if knowing you were up there. _Well DUH. The tracks ended behind a tree, and there's no other palce to go but up._ He jumps into the branches, landing not a foot away from where you were perched. _Thank the moon I don't have to breathe._ He searches the area for any sign of you, apparently worried judging by the expression on his face.

He calls again, making you flinch. "(F/N)!" He sits there, scoping out the woods until he finally leaves the tree, jumping from the high branches to the ground with a light whoosh. As he enters the clearing again, you let out a quick sigh of relief. Being extra careful, watching Jack the whole time, you turn visible again. Deciding the safest way to escape unnoticed was by _not making any more fucking footprints_ you change into an owl.

The process isn't unlike when Mim chose you. A quick tingle runs under you skin, you shiver violently. The next thing you know, hey! your a bird. As if on instinct, you flap your wings lightly and rise from the tree branches. Unfortunately, thats where the instincts end. You fall back to the ground, not able to hold yourself in the air. Looking around, you are relieved Jack hasn't noticed anything.

Quickly getting to your clawed feet, you decide something with legs would do best. But what? Quickly going over the list of winter animals that roam these woods by night, you choose one that would be least conspicuous. Laying your wings gently on the ground, you change form once again. After the tingles settle, you lift your head and glance down at yourself. You glorious lupine fur is a dark grey, white tipped at the ends and the end of the tail. As a wolf, you quickly and quietly move to the edge of the trees, waiting for the best time to leave.

Jack is looking around on the ground, lifting snow into the air and checking under it. You confusedly watch for a few moments, _what the heck?_ Then you remember what you had told him. He was looking for 'the small thing you had lost'. Smiling inside at his care and smirking a doggy smirk at his gullibility, you move silently closer. When you come up right behind him, you puff a breath from your nostrils. He startles, turning around quickly and flying back. Looking at you, he smiles. Lowering the staff he had pointed at you, he crouches and sticks out his hand. You step back from the hand, your wolfie instincts shying away from the unfamiliar threat.

He waits, still holding out his hand, but when he sees you having no intention of coming any closer, his smiles again and stands upright.

"What, gonna stare at me all night?" He chuckles. "If you don't mind, I have to find something. Care to help?" You stare at him. _Does he normally talk to animals? I don't think regular animals can actually understand anything._ He goes back to searching, moving snow and digging around the now barely distinguishable bodies in the snow. Deciding to just watch him, you lay down at the edge of the clearing, resting your head on your paws.

After a few hours, he seems to find something. Lifting it from the snow, you are shocked to see he'd found the old key necklace you'd worn before you died. It was a gift from a friend long gone, barely a passing thought nowadays. It was all you had left of him. You're surprised you'd forgotten it. _Looks like I DID lose something, damnit._ Getting up quickly, you trot over to him. Getting close enough to take the necklace, you take it in your teeth and dart back to your spot. "Hey!" he retorts, "That's not yours! Give it back!" He chases after you, reaching for the necklace. _Like shit it isn't. Mine, bitch._ You dart around him, keeping just out of his reach. He laughs, chasing you around the clearing. You allow a crooked doggy grin, giving in to the game.

For an hour or two you play with the Guardian of Fun, careful not to let him too close incase he recognizes your (e/c) eyes. When you finally grow tired of running, you halt a few feet from him, never letting your gaze flit away from his. He smirks. "Fine, you can have it," he says, "But on one condition." You tilt your head to the side. _What the heck is he trying to pull here?_ "You have to stay with me until we find (f/n)." Thinking about, you find it reasonable enough. _It'll be easier to watch over the annoying dude this way, anyway. It's not like he'll actually find me._

Moving closer, you sit in front of him, showing you consent. Smiling happily, he reaches for the necklace. You growl, telling him that you have no intention of losing it. His hand stops. "It's okay," Jack cooes softly, " I'm just gonna put it around your neck. Can't carry it around like that all the time anyway, right?" It seemed okay, so you let him gently remove it from your mouth. He loops it carefully around your neck, it fitting nicely over your head. Moving away quickly, you stare at Jack. "Well then," he chortles, "let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer! I don't own you or the ROTG peeps. That would be too awesome, ya know? Anywho, PART 4! YAAAAY! Enjoy, snowflake!

* * *

 **Previously in the Guardians' Guardian**

 **Fine, you can have it," he says, "But on one condition." You tilt your head to the side, wondering what the heck he's trying to pull here. "You have to stay with me until we find (f/n)." Thinking about, you find it reasonable enough. _It'll be easier to watch over the annoying dude this way, anyway. It's not like he'll actually find me._**

 **Moving closer, you sit in front of him, showing you consent. Smiling happily, he reaches for the necklace. You growl, telling that you have no intention of losing it. His hand stops. "It's okay," he cooes softly, " I'm just gonna put it around your neck. Can't carry it around like that all the time anyway, right?" It seemed okay, so you let him gently remove it from your mouth. He loops it carefully around your neck, it fitting nicely over your head. Moving away quickly, you stare at him. "Well then," he chortles, "let's go."**

~Part 4~

It had been mid to late November when you'd become the Guardians' Guardian, and you had been with Jack for around one month now. You had travelled with him across the world, bringing on the cold white stuff and playing the part of his furry companion. But, _like all wonderful things in my life,_ it seemed it was too good to last. Jack wasn't the only Guardian for you to watch, and Christmas was coming up soon.

You had been working on your other powers in secret, so you were able to leave a piece of yourself to watch over Jack, but you knew you had to go soon. The only problem was the process of leaving itself. Jack was with you just about everywhere, apparently not needing much sleep. _Does this kid ever get tired? I mean fuck, how am I supposed to go?_

"Hey, Frostbite!" _Aaand there's the adorable asshat now. What's with the nickname anyway? Do I look like I'm dying of cold or something?_ You acknowledged him anyway, looking up from your position under his flying form to see his bright mischievous smirk directed right down at you. _This isn't gonna be pretty._ "Bet you I'll get to the mountain first!" He gestured to the large shape in the distance. You growled at the challenge, raring and ready to go. _Bring it on, Frosty._ Laughing in response, he jets off, leaving you to your lone wolf gait.

Making sure he didn't see you, you poured on your super-awesome-über-guardian-kick-ass speed. Out pacing Jack easily, you watch as the wintry forest around you dwindles to sparse patches the closer you get to the mountain. Knowing he won't consider actual defeat unless you get to the top, you continue. While the trees zip by, you contemplate how you'd give Mr. Snowflake the slip.

He hadn't slept for around five days, so that means he'd probably allow a quick nap tonight. That didn't give you much time, considering it was already late in the evening. But, you'd gotten pretty fast with your 'soul-splitting', as you called it, and then you could just slip off silently to change form and go. _Yeah, that'll work! Except... I don't really wanna leave though... Damn it..._

Jack had grown on you this past month, his happy laughter and mischievous personality making you smile every time. Not to mention the crush you'd acquired. _Shiiit... How do I stop that?_ Putting aside your emotions, you had a job to do. Now wasn't the time to be an emotional teenager. _I can't stay... I'm just here to guard him-them! Crap. They're just a job. Can't get attached... No matter how hot they are- Damnit! There go the emotions..._

Without realizing it, you'd reached the top of the mountain, too secluded in your own thoughts to even notice. Sliding to a stop, you look back to see Jack still a couple hundred yards away. _That's what he gets for being cocky._ You lay down, resting your head on your paws and watching him grow closer. You really were gonna miss him.

"Oi, Frostbite! Seems like you win again huh?" Jack glides to a stop in front of you, grinning despite his loss. He lays down next to you, his head resting on your side. If wolves could blush, you would've been a tomato. You nip his ear gently, succumbing to the urge for physical contact. He chuckles softly, reaching out to bury his hand in your ruff. "Love you too, Frostbite," he says, barely covering a yawn. _Awwwww, shit. Now I'm blushing AND guilty._ He plays with your key necklace, fingering the old ornament hanging from the leather rope. "Do you think we'll find her, Frostbite?" He asks you, barely over a whisper. "We haven't seen her since that night. I-I know I only met her for, like, ten minutes, but... but she's engraved in my brain. She was so pretty, and...and..."

You wait anxiously for him to continue, wanting hear more. _Oh my GOD! He thinks about me! *squeal*!_ Pricking up your ears, you turn towards him. He was fast asleep, the bastard. Sighing internally you gently ruffle his hair with your nose, thanking the Powers that Be that the moon was obscured by the clouds. _Oh, Jack... What am I going to do with you?_

Carefully extricating yourself from his grip on your fur, you step back. Concentrating, you break off a piece of yourself, giving it the shape of a key. Laying it gently in his palm, you gaze at him for a few minutes, sad (e/c) orbs dusting over his sleeping face.

Finally gathering the will to look away, you turn and run to the trees. Once safe in the cover of their branches, you try to think of an animal that would get you to the North Pole fastest, yet be inconspicuous when you get there. _Bam! A Snowy Owl! DUH dipshit..._ Over the course of the past few weeks of random lonely nights, you'd been working your flying. Now, the little practice you'd had would have to pay off.

Letting the tingles run over your body, you waited. Once they subside, you raise your now snow white wings and push off from the ground. After a moment's hesitation and a quick scare with a nettle bush, you manage to stay upright and sky-bound. Soaring back over the place where Jack was curled on the ground, you see the key-shaped part of you clenched tightly in his hand, held closely to his chest. Fighting the pain in your chest and the urge to go back and take the soul-piece, you turn and head north. _The next time I see him, I really hope he has that. If he loses it I'm ripping his fucking staff to tinder._

~TIME SKIP~

Plummeting into the snow of the Pole, you pant and strain the urge to go back. Being this far from your a piece of yourself hurt like hell, and your wing was sorely injured upon your fall. _Well, at least I made it._ Your eyes flutter, exhaustion filling your little avian body with lead. The snow was really starting to pile up. Just before you were almost completely covered, and with the last strain of consciousness, you feel rather large, calloused hands gently lift you from the ground.

"Oi, What you doing out here, Malinki Iskra?" _What the fuck? is that Russian?_ A gentle yet gruff voice rumbles through your dark mind, then all goes dark.


	5. Chapter 5

**Previously in the Guardians' Guardian**

 **Your eyes flutter, exhaustion filling your little avian body with lead. The snow was really starting to pile up. Just before you were almost completely covered, and with the last strain of consciousness, you feel rather large, calloused hands gently lift you from the ground.**

 **"Oi, What you doing out here, Malinki Iskra?" _What the fuck? is that Russian?_ A gentle yet gruff voice rumbles through your dark mind, then all goes dark.**

~Part 5~

Then first thing you notice coming out of the darkness is the warmth. _What the- Since when is Frosty all warm?_ Groggily, you open your (e/c) eyes. "WOAAAH-SHIT!" Startled, you find yourself and the blankets thrown from the bed you had just inhabited to the floor. Struggling, you manage to disentangle yourself, finding you arms completely human- along with the rest of you. _Weeell fuck. This isn't gonna go well._ Apparently, being unconscious shuts off your morphing abilities. _Note to self: try not to go unconscious._ Deciding to take care of that when you've fully grabbed hold of your wits, not to mention clothes, you take in your surroundings.

You were in a large room, all stone and wood, a large fireplace dominating the wall in front of you, the source of the heat you'd felt earlier. A large red rug was spread across the floor, and the bed you had just rudely vacated was extremely large. _O-kaaay, how the hell did I get here?_ Then, it all rushes back to you. Landing at the North Pole, the voice, and leaving Jack.

That gave you an unpleasant, and unwarranted, pang in your chest. You missed him- _I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO EVEN INTERACT WITH HIM! GAAAH!_ And now, here you were, alone in a strange room, no idea where Mr. North was, no clothes, and- _WAIT. WHERE'S MY KEY?!_ Searching frantically, you find it settled on the the nightstand next to the bed. Securing once more around your neck, you feel much more at ease. As you continued your analysis of the situation, you hear the door knob turn.

You squeak in surprise, pulling the blankets back around your starkly naked form. In the doorway stands a large man, his eyes a brilliant, deep blue and his white beard a blatant contrast to his black brows. His arms have sleeves rolled up to the elbows. On the right arm is tattoed the word 'Naughty', with 'Nice' accompanying it on the other forearm. _Oh shit not again. Well, at least I found North._

"Oh, good you wake!" His large Russian accent was boisterous, ringing through your ears.

"Yes, I am," you reply hesitantly,"and quite in the nude." North grows rather rosy in the cheeks, or rosy-er.

"Oh! I am sorry, here- PHIL! Bring clothes!" He barks this out the door, and a few minutes later you see a large furry creature hand him the articles of clothing. Handing them to you, he says "Now, once you are dressed, we introduce you to others, yes?" You start at this. _Others, FUCK! Does the unvierse have a personal vendetta against me something? I can't seem to catch a break!_

"Oh, North I- I don't think- that is to say I-" He looks at you inquisitively.

"How do you know me?" You chuckle despite yourself.

"Now that's a story." He brightens at this.

"Really, well I must hear later! Oh, while on subject, what might your name be?"

"(f/n)."

"Well, (f/n), you dress then we continue introductions with others, da? We wait down hall." With this he throws one last smile your way and closes the door. You smile back, dropping into an immediate scowl once the door is shut. _Shiit. How do I get outta this one?_

Dressing, you contemplate morphing into an owl again, but since that's how he found you he'd know it was you. Morphing into something else would be ridiculous because he knew you already could. There's no windows or others ways out of the room besides the door, and since they were right down the hall and you HAD NO FUCKING CLUE where you were or a way out, sneaking out would be difficult. Becoming invisible wouldn't help because of all the lights you'd caught a glimpse of in the hall would cast an obvious shadow. _Oh well. I'm screwed either way._

You open the door and find that your room was at the end of a long hallway, lined with torches and doora on either side. Walking slowly, you try to reason with the major freak-out in your head. _Maybe he didn't call the Guardians, maybe he's just introducing me to the other furry things and elves and such. Yeah!_...This pep talk didn't help at all. Resigning to your failure, you stop at the end of the hall, take a deep breath, and peak your head around the corner. _Ah FUCK._

Standing around the room were the Guardians. Bunny was leaning against the wall, inspecting and sharpening his boomerang. He loomed liked a giant, fluffy kangaroo. The Tooth Fairy was hovering around the ceiling, darting this way and that, shouting orders to her little workers. You saw Sandman sleeping in a chair in the corner, a soft golden glow around his face. North was facing towards you, talking animatedly to- _Fuck this won't be pretty._ There, leaning on his staff, smirking his old mischievous smirk you loved so much, was Jack. He wasn't listening to North, just rolling the key shaped soul-piece you left for him around his knuckles and through the air. He looked lost in thought, his eyes roaming the room. When his eyes wandered to where you were peeking, he froze (no pun intended, although it should've been), his crystal blue eyes connecting with your (e/c) ones.

"SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT." You turn and dart off back down the hallway. You hear a shout behind you, and the familiar gust of cold wind alerts you to your doom. Swerving randomly, you race through the nearest door, only to find yourself almost careening over the edge of a railing. A hand grabs the back of your shirt, preventing your fall and pulling you back into a solid, jacket clad chest. Hands on your shoulders spin you around, face to fucking face with Jack.

"Its- Its you!" You sigh in defeat. _Mim is gonna kill me. And NOT bring me back._

"Why does the world hate me?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! That last part seemed a bit rushed, I know, but I was sooo excited to get you and Jack united again and it was sooo much fun to write so I'm all WAAAAH! Ya know? Aaanywho, here's part 6! Obvious disclaimer, none but the plot is owned by me. In the words of the great Nicholas St. North, this is going to be EPIC! XD**

* * *

**Previously in the Guardians' Guardian**

 **A hand grabs the back of your shirt, preventing your fall and pulling you back into a solid, jacket clad chest. Hands on your shoulders spin you around, face to fucking face with Jack.**

 **"Its- Its you!" You sigh in defeat. _Mim is gonna kill me. And NOT bring me back._**

 **"Why does the world hate me?"**

~Part 6~

"Wha- wait nevermind that. Who are you? How did you get here? How do you-" You put two fingers against Jack's mouth, halting the flow of questions. He stares at you for a second, his gaze flickering from your (e/c) eyes to your fingers and back. You sigh irritatedly. _Can't believe I missed this ding-a-ling._

"Now," you huff, "I'm going to remove my fingers and I want you to slow down, take a deep breath, shut up, and let me go. Got it?" He nods against your hand, a slight blush creeping across his cheeks. Removing your hand, he stays quiet and lets go of you shoulders but doesn't step out of your personal space. He looks at you, a curious gaze that leaves you squirming. Looking away, you manage to utter "Ca- Can I have my soul-piece back, please?" This snaps him out of his stupor.

"Your what?" He asks.

"My soul-piece," you repeat dejectedly. _Might as well tell him the truth. I'm already screwed._ "The key." He takes it from his pocket.

"This thing?"

"Yup. Than- HEY! GIVE IT BACK!" He holds it above his head, way above your reach. You jump for it, him being taller than you. He smirks, obviously enjoying your struggles. _The little showpony._

"Not until you answer a couple questions," he taunts.

"Didn't you just hear me, you deaf little refrigerator? That's a SOUL-PIECE. A part of my soul, you asshat! Give it back!"

"How did I even end up with a piece of your soul anyway?" He backs away, darting around to avoid your reaching hands.

"Grrr. I gave it to you before I left to keep an eye on you! Now give!"

"Left? But I just got this when Fros-" he falters. You could see the frozen synapses firing in his brain, him making the connections. Taking advantage of his amazement, you tackle him. Straddling him, you manage to take the soul-piece and reconnect it. A feeling of wholeness comes over you, making you sigh contentedly. Looking down, you find Jack still watching you, although this time his blush is much more prominent. "Uh- Um- I...uhh" he stutters. Realizing the position you're in, you quickly jump from your awkward mount on his hips and bolt back to the doorway- only to find the rest of the Guardians standing there. _Ooooh dear._ Bunnymund steps forward, clapping you on the back.

"Good job, Sheila. Neva' seen Snowdrop over hea' so outta wack. But, I do think you 'ave some answerin' to do." With this, he grabs you around the waist and flings you over his shoulder. You yelp, indignant at the sudden manhandling.

"OI!" you shout, wailing on his furry back with your fists, "I CAN WALK YOU DAMNED ANIMATED THROW RUG! PUT ME DOWN!" Jack, who's standing again, laughs quite heartily at your quip and falls back to the floor.

"Oh! Hahahaha! She...hahahaha... she got you...hahahaha... good there Bunny! Hahahahaha!" Scowling at Jack, Bunny puts you down, albeit nonetoo gently. You dust yourself off, flinging your (h/l/c) hair out of your (e/c) eyes.

"Do that again," you threaten, "and I'll use your foot as a good luck charm while stuffing a throw pillow with your own fur." This erupts more guffaws from Jack, and quite a few stifled laughs from the others. _Man, I gotta get outta here._

"Now, if you'll excuse me." Walking back over to the railing, you swing your legs over. Looking back at them, you smile devilishly. _They don't think I'll do it. Just watch._ You wave daintily and, to everyone's horror, jump. You morph again, this time into a large leopard. Landing softly on your feet, you look back up, smirking at the sputtering gaggle Guardians gaping at you from over the railing 45 ft over your head. Morphing again into your human form, you survey your surroundings, finding a large door and plenty of hallways. _This is gonna be fun._ You hear Jack flying down to you, no doubt intending to whisk you away for an interrogation. _Sorry, my adorable asshat. I have other plans._ You turn invisible, causing another gasp to ring from your captive audience. Turning to run past Jack, you whisper as you pass him "Catch me if you can, Ice boy." and dart into the maze of hallways.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimers, lack of ownership, all that wonderous puddin! Enjoy, friend!**

* * *

 **Previously in the Guardians' Guardian**

 **You turn invisible, causing another gasp to ring from your captive audience. Turning to run past Jack, you whisper as you pass him "Catch me if you can, Ice boy." And dart into the maze of hallways.**

~Part 7~

You are currently hiding in the shadows of a pillar, somewhere deep within the bowels of the Workshop. You can hear Jack flying around, his mischeivous voice bouncing off the walls and down the halls (ha! Dem rhymes! Alright, author will shut up.) The sound of the other Guardians isn't as loud, yet just as enthusiastic. _They probably made this into a contest... I am soo gonna win._

"(f/n)... Come out come out wherever you are..." _Aaand cue the handsome flying popsicle._ Jack's voice sounds close, too close for comfort. You quickly melt into the shadows, turning invisible (you'd turned visible earlier after disappearing down the hall). Peeking hesitantly around the pillar, you see that he was darting down the hall towards you, checking all the tables and shadows as he went. Moving swiftly, you dart from your hiding place and into a room on your left. Your foot scuffs the ground, an alarmingly loud scratching sound resonating throughout the mostly lonely hallway. _Shitshitshit._ He looks immediately to where you are, a smile forming on his face. You enter the room, Jack hot on your trail.

The room you'd entered was abandoned, dust covering everything. Toys laid around the room, dilapidated and faded from the passing of time. The darkness of the room gives you an advantage, no shadows quickly dive upward, your hands grabbing an exposed beam hanging above you, and swing yourself up. Grinning devilishly, a gloriously devious plan forms in your head. You dangle your legs just over the edge of the beam, right at the perfect height. Jack comes gliding into the room, a confident smirk on his face- only to have it wiped off as he runs into your invisible dangling feet and falls back. His face was just too priceless, you couldn't help it. You let out a guffaw, doubling over with laughter; only to lean forward too far, fall, and land sprawled on top of Jack. Your shock causes you to turn visible, and a bright red blush to cover your face. Jack reaches up and around you, trapping you to his chest. _Why can't I stay hidden? I'm not very good at this 'secret' stuff._ He smirks at you, enjoying the redness of your (s/c) cheeks.

"Caught you," he whispers, staring into your (e/c) eyes. You gulp. _I wonder how Mim will kill me? He doesn't seem like the merciful type if you get him angry. Its the calm and quiet ones that are the most dangerous._ "You know, that was probably the best game of Hide-and-Seek I've ever played. We should do it again sometime." He grins slyly, gripping you tighter.

"W-w-what m-makes you think," you stutter, not yet comfortable with the close proximity, "t-that there'll be a next time?" He leans closer to your face, your noses brushing.

"'Cause I'm never gonna let you go, now that I've finally caught you." _That's it, I am going to melt into a bright red puddle and never be able to tell Mim it wasn't my fault._ You notice his eyes flicker to your lips, his head moving even closer. _Ah, fuck Mim. I just can't take it anymore._ With this, you lean closer, bridging the gap between you and Jack. Your lips brush, a subtle electricity running through your veins, causing you to shiver. Jack brushes you lips again, delighting in the shakes he brings forth. He teases you, looking deep into your (e/c) eyes and hovering just a hair's breadth from your lips. You stare back, unable to think. Just as you were about to crush him to you...

You were whisked away to an all too familiar whiteness.

 _Aaaaaaaaah, SHIT._


	8. Chapter 8

**Last Time in 'the Guardians' Guardian'**

 **You stare back, unable to think. Just as you were about to crush him to you...**

 **You were whisked away to an all too familiar whiteness.**

 _ **Aaaaaaaaah, SHIT.**_

~Part 8~

You sit up slowly, your (h/l/c) hair slightly covering your flushed face {sorry if your hair's super short!}. Finally mustering up the courage to surpass your EXTREME embarassment at having been caught in 'that' situation, you look around. The old wrought iron bed and nightstand from your first visit are gone, while the wing-backed Victorian chair is quite present... Along with the person sitting in it.

Mim looks as pale as ever, and the chair looks almost a faded yellow next to his dusty white façade. His head hangs propped in his right hand, which sits bent at the elbow on the armrest. The exasperation clearly emenated via body language sends you into a new fit blushing.

"(F/n)... What was the one thing I asked of you when you first came here?" Mim's words aren't harsh, yet the sad dissaproval behind them makes you flinch.

"Y-you asked me to stay hidden, Mim," you mumble.

"Yes. And, does this- this clear show of INTIMACY display you staying hidden, little one?"

"No, Mim." He sighs, looking at you with tired eyes {hey! Rhyming! Shut up author-chan!}. He motions you forward with a hand, and you rise to your feet, slowly starting the Shame Parade procession. When you approach, he wraps you gently in his embrace, petting your hair and swaying back and forth {d'aawww. Mim Time! STFU AUTHOR-CHAN!}. You wilt into his shoulder, sniffling. You were normally more defiant than this; yelling, stomping around, smartassing the world. But Mim's dissaproval hurt more than you would ever admit. You had respected him in the utmost way, vying for his approval.

Now that you'd messed up so terribly, you felt that he was going to drop you from his side. Being alone, that was what you feared the most. You didn't want to be alone.

"It is alright, Little Light. I will not abandon you. You never worry about that." Wow, can he read my mind? I should dust off my censoring apparatus.  
"But, you must understand, these feelings you have towards Jack Frost are not safe for the job I have designated for you. If something were to happen to the others, your feelings for Jack would interfere. I cannot allow this, I'm sorry." You stiffen and pull away. _Please, oh pleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease don't say what I think you're gonna say. Please Mim, don't do it. Don't you dare fucking do it!_

"(F/n), I cannot allow you to watch over Jack, anymore. You will still have the responsibility of the safety of the others, but you cannot come into contact with him. I will make it so you cannot be recognized by him. When he is in the vicinity, you will become completely unnoticable. Not like your previous ability, you cannot be affected by the elements. The power you had wasn't very effective, so I will replace it with this.

If you are in an other form than this, you cannot change out of it until he is gone. He will never see you again, and you are prohibited from seeing him. Try, and the consequences will be severe."

You stare at Mim, shocked speechless at his audacity. _He thinks he can- That I'll just- WHAT THE FUCK?!_

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

**AH! My subconscious reminds me (subconscious? What subconscious? I don't remember buying one of those!) I don't anything in here except the plot! I keep forgetting that... That could be important... Aaah whelp. Leeeet's go!**

 **~Previously in the Guardians' Guardian~**

 **"(F/n), I cannot allow you to watch over Jack, anymore. You will still have the responsibility of the safety of the others, but you cannot come into contact with him. I will make it so you cannot be recognized by him. When he is in the vicinity, you will become completely unnoticable. Not like your previous ability, you cannot be affected by the elements. The power you had wasn't very effective, so I will replace it with this.**

 **If you are in an other form than this, you cannot change out of it until he is gone. He will never see you again, and you are prohibited from seeing him. Try, and the consequences will be severe."**

 **You stare at Mim, shocked speechless at his audacity. _He thinks he can- That I'll just- WHAT THE FUCK?!_**

~Part 9~

The horror you feel and the pain in your heart renders you speechless. Your (e/c) eyes are wide, your mouth gaping like a fish out of water, and there are burning tears threatening to fall. Mim watches you hold back the sobs, pain in his face, and yet he knows it's 'for the best'. He reaches for you, meaning to pull you into an embrace. You flinch back, quickly backing away from his chair.

Turning, you run to the edge in the distance, the one overlooking the Earth. You stop with the tips of you (fave color) Converse hanging over the edge, just watching the world turn. You hold back the sobs, shaking with the effort. _I shouldn't be THIS attached to him, should I? I was only with him for a month, that's not enough time to miss him this much, right? But I do... Dear God, I certainly do... The pain of leaving him is torture! It hurts so terribly, I just want to curl into a ball and sleep it off. But-_ You feel a hand on your shoulder, abruptly pulling you from your thoughts of misery. You turn your head, staring up at Mim. _He must be kidding, right? He must know how much it hurts. That I can't... I won't... But... Maybe Mim has a point?... No! It's too painful to be justifiable by any means!_ You shrug off his hand but don't move, hanging your head and just watching the world slowly move on.

"(F/n). I am sending you back, to the Warren," you don't answer, not deeming it necessary. "You will start your new assignment with Bunnymund, rotating between him, Toothiana, and North. Nightlight will watch over Jack. Their memories have been wiped of you, so coming into contact is pointless anyway." You'd met Nightlight before, during your month with Jack. At first, he didn't know of your position. But one night he had caught you attempting to morph, and had become a close friend during your private moments while Jack was sleeping or nowhere to be found. He was a great guy-kind, strong, serious, the perfect balance to Jack's playful nature. He never revealed anything about you, not even really paying attention when Jack was around. But now he's seperated you from Jack... "Go, and keep them safe." And with that, your vision darkens.

~Le Skippeh-Skip~

You wake in a tunnel, dark yet patched with sunlight from the roof. The tunnel was stony, yet also covered in greenery. _The tunnels to the Warren, I guess,_ you think glumly. "Thanks Mim, this is great." Your sarcasm elicits no response, and the lack of one spurs the anger deep in your gut. Screaming, kicking running, you vent the pain gnawing in your belly. The heartache, the sorrow, the hatred, all the feels. They spill from your maw in the most unladylike fashion, but you don't really give a flying flapjack of a fuck. How could Mim dictate you? Of course he's your boss, technically, but that still doesn't matter! You love Jack, and you'll be damned if you can't reach him.

Resolute, you march to a hole and prepare to morph. Just as you jump, preparing to fly out, your body is gripped in a vice. Your body refuses to move. You land heavily on your side, spraining your ankle. _FFFFFUUUUUU-_ Apparently Mim was quite serious about the 'never be in contact with Jack ever' thing. As you lay there, the tears finally come. You gain the use of your body, but find no will to move; just sitting and weeping is all you can deem possible at the moment. But your keening cries draw attention, if the thumps growing steadily louder are any indication. Thinking quickly you change into any random forest animal that comes to mind, still not rising from the floor and your ankle panging with the shift. Suprisingly enough, you morph into a white doe. And, suprising still, you discover that deer can actually cry, as the tears continue to roll steadily down your face.

The thumps grow loud, along with a strong Aussie accent. "Oi! 'Oo's down eah!" The noise comes to a halt behind you, and you feel him approach you cautiously. A paw is placed on your back and you flinch. It stills, and Bunnymund appears to notice your ankle. Coming around to face you, he gingerly touches it. You jolt from the pain, lashing out. He dodges, waiting for you to calm the fuck down, and then approaches again. This time, he gently wraps an arm around your torso and lifts you over his shoulder, careful to avoid your leg. "Easy, Sheila. I've got ya." You offer no resistance, just rest against him. He sets off back the way he'd come, being careful not to jostle you. Finding nothing but desolate pain inside your heart, you succumb to the blackness once again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Previously, in the Guardians' Guardian**

 **Bunnymund appears to notice your ankle. Coming around to face you, he gingerly touches it. You jolt from the pain, lashing out. He dodges, waiting for you to calm the fuck down, and then approaches again. This time, he gently wraps an arm around your torso and lifts you over his shoulder, careful to avoid your leg. "Easy, Sheila. I've got ya." You offer no resistance, just rest against him. He sets off back the way he'd come, being careful not to jostle you. Finding nothing but desolate pain inside your heart, you succumb to the blackness once again.**

Part 10

Watching over Bunnymund was easy enough; all he ever really did when he wasn't with the other Guardians was paint his eggs. He would spend hours over one egg, critiquing every flaw and perfecting every design. _Man, what a YOKE this guy is... Hehe, I made a funny, nice one (f/n)_ After he'd found you, Bunnymund had designated you your own little grotto in the Warren. While he worked, you would observe from the safety of nearby thickets; so far he hadn't noticed, but that could just be him being obstinate.

You rarely dropped the deer façade, only morphing to a different form on the nights before you left to watch Toothiana and North. You'd oriented yourself to a simple schedule: Two weeks for each charge, implementing extra days if there is any sign of trouble. You would rotate from Bunny to Tooth, Tooth to North, and back again.

It was somewhat troublesome to find a proper form for Toothiana's alotted watch. You'd tried out several different forms, but none had been able to keep up with her speed and scatter-brained dental antics. _This chickadee could be entertained with floss alone._ Sadly enough, I've seen it happen. In the end, you'd settled for (fav. color) butterfly. The Queen of Memories had a special love for the delicate insects, and she always kept you close with a special place in her crest of feathers on top of her head. _Joy, I've always wanted to be a hood ornament... Not._

When you went to keep guard over North, you made sure not to use the owl shape - _It could trigger a memory or something; and then he'll remember me being here and that J- THAT PERSON seemed to know me. And then he'll call over THAT PERSON and I just can't afford that_ \- and chose to become a white fox. North seemed quite fond of you following him around the Workshop, sometimes slipping you a cookie or a little cup of cocoa.

None seemed to notice the soul pieces you'd left on their persons. Discreetly attached to Bunnymund's boomerang harness-thing was a small (fav. color) tulip bud, something you'd given him once while he'd been checking over your ankle. Tooth had an extra (fav. color) feather stashed among the ones in her headress. And somehow you'd coerced North into braiding a (fav. color) ribbon into his beard. With each one you'd given, you found could teleport to each piece, wherever the bearer was. You'd fallen into a simple rhythm, moving among the Guardians with ease and efficiency for 2 whole years. _Yup, time flies when you're wallowing in self-pity and being a good little Guardian. I deserve a fucking raise..._ Well, almost with ease.

~Flashback to 1 Year ago~

It was one year into your new post and Bunnymund was celebrating a particularly victorious Easter. He'd invited the Guardians to the Warren for a party later that week, and you'd moved to watch Toothiana the day after Easter. You were oblivious until Tooth was wafting you into her flurry of feathers on her way out. You hadn't expected a serious PARTY party, probably just Tooth dropping off a gift and a congratulations and then scurrying off. But, when you come within thirty feet of the Warren, you see the streamers and decorations littering the tunnels and hear voices echoing softy in the mossy caverns. A state of horrified apprehension comes over you, as well as the familiar freezing of your limbs. _Oooohhhh, SHIT. This means-_ Tooth emerges into the bright sunlight of the Warren, granting you full view of the party and its guests. One in particular causes your chest to practically break open. There, surrounded by a throng of seasonal sprites and water nymphs, was Jack.

He was even more handsome than you remembered; his crystal blue eyes sparkled with a devilish gleam, a crooked and cocky grin edging itself across his face. His snow-white hair shined where the light hit it, and he seemed to be rather at ease among the adoring stares and flutterings of the lesser nature spirits. They cooed and fawned over him, calling forth a dark aura of jealousy into your mind. _Bitch, you'd best remove your hand from my Icicle-Boy unless you'd rather I eat it._ But, per Mim's restrictions, you were not able to come into any personal contact pertaining to Jack Frost of your own volition. So you were left to just watch as wave after wave of brainless hooker-sprites threw themselves at him, boiling over and freezing up at the same time.

Tooth doesn't seem to notice your sudden rigidity, and flies around the party, offering her sincere congratulations to Bunny and warm hugs to friends and acquaintances. She looks around after a bit, and titters excitedly when she spots Jack.

"Ooh! Hey! Jack! Jack Jack Jack Jack Jack! Hey!" She swerves midflight, practically divebombing him in a tackle hug. His entourage send her death glares and vemon-coated-dagger eyes.

"Tooth! Hey- ah! Toof hanth ow mowf!" He sends her a pointed stare, and she quickly removes her fingers.

"Whoops~! Sorrynotsorry! OMG Jack! I haven't seen you in like forever~! How are you?" She grips him in a crushing hug again.

"I-I'm fi-ne. Tooth. Let... Go... C-Can't... Breath!" She releases him with a giggle.

"Again: Sorrynotsorry~!" He chuckles at this, causing a pang in your chest. How long has it been since I heard that sound? Too damn long, I say.

"I like your feather ornament, Tooth. Its pretty." He points to you, nestled in her feathers. Tooth flutters happily, taking you from your frozen perch {to pun, or not to pun; that is the question?} and pushing you close to his face. _SHITSHITSHIT. Tooth! No. STAHP!_

"Its not a feather ornament, silly! It's my butterfly friend! She follows me around and keeps me company while my little workers and I are busy! Here~!" She places you gently into his cold fingers. You whimper mentally at his touch, remembering all the things he will never. _These hands... I know these hands..._ Somehow, you manage to shiver in your statue-like state; your emotions rushing through you like a flood.

"Hey, T, I think your butterfly is broken or something." He brings you closer to his eyes, examining your motionless figure, amusement and the faintest hint of concern in his sky-blue orbs. Tooth snatches you quickly from him and brings you close to her own face, tearing a silent cry from you at being snatched from him again. _No!... His eyes..._

"What?! No! She was just fine! Here! Take her while I go find some sugar water! That always makes her feel better~!" She places you back into his cool hands, rushing off in a random direction. Jack chuckles again, shaking his head at her antics. He looks down at you, studying you more thoroughly. He reaches out and gingerly strokes your iridescent (fav. color) wings, iliciting another unheard whimper. _Boy, if I could blush, I'd be anemic from all the blood in my face._

His arm is tugged on, jostling you slightly. Turning, he spies a water nymph fluttering her lashes at him. _Oi, sleeze-bag, what'd I say about touching?!_

"C'mon Jack~," her voice is sickeningly sweet and high pitched, veiled innocence and underlying skankiness showing in her eyes, "Let's play a game~." She tugs his arm again. Jack grins, not noticing the skank in her; the prospect of a game is too much for the Guardian of Fun to resist. He sets you down on a nearby flower, flying off in chase of the nymph. Before he releases you, you manage to slip a soul piece up his sleeve. Its a smaller version of your key, not wanting to lose the one thing that used to connect the two of you.

You watch as she lures him into a rather physical game of tag, your black mood growing worse with each passing second. At one point, he traps her between him and a rock, and she snakes close to him, sensually drawing herself up to his face and kissing him full on the mouth. You cry out in pain and rage; a resounding noise no animal, let-alone a BUTTERLFY, could ever utter.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" You feel as though your whole being ripped into more soul pieces than you'd ever attempted, shredded beyond comprehension.

The party stops, startled and on high alert from the unexplained outburst. Your form wilts and falls off the flower, no one noticing that you had fallen or that it was you who made the noise. Bunnymund quickly disbands the party, saying he'd check over the Warren and thanking everyone for coming. Everyone disperses, Tooth seeming to have forgotten her little butterfly friend. You watch despondently as Jack sends an unknown look back at the nymph bitch then leaves as well. As soon as he's out of the vicinity, feeling returns to your limbs, but you ignore it. As a quick excuse to not go back to Tooth and to drained to go to North, you morph into the white doe. Bunny seems surprised when he finds you curled up in the grass.

"Oi, Sheila, I thought you were on your away trip? I ha'n't expected you back for anotha few weeks!" _Hmmm, so he's been keepin tabs on how long I'm gone. Well at least SOMEONE cares..._ A few unshed tears shine in your eyes. He bends down and strokes your neck; smiling gently, he wraps his arms around your torso and lifting you, thinking it was sheer exhaustion keeping you immobile. He takes you back to your grotto, taking care to leave you some of his special carrots next to your bed of leaves. After he leaves, you close your eyes and morph into you human form. Its been so long since you've been in this form, you've forgotten what you looked like. You curl into a shuddering ball, starting to weep and keen softly. _Mim... Please... Oh Mim, help me... Help me escape from these horrible horrible feelings..._

No sooner had you thought this that you felt a pair of arms pull you into a warm, tight embrace. Large hands stroked your hair as you wept into the white-clad shoulder, your bodies rocking slowly back and forth. Mim whispers comfort into your ear, easing you into a deep, painful, dreamless sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Obvious disclaimer~ Fancy squigglies~~ All the ussssual jazz~**

* * *

**Previously, in the Guardians' Guardian**

 **You curl into a shuddering ball, starting to weep and keen softly. _Mim... Please... Oh Mim, help me... Help me escape from these horrible horrible feelings..._**

 **No sooner had you thought this that you felt a pair of arms pull you into a warm, tight embrace. Large hands stroked your hair as you wept into the white-clad shoulder, your bodies rocking slowly back and forth. Mim whispers comfort into your ear, easing you into a deep, painful, dreamless sleep.**

~~Part 11~~

It was Bunny's rotation for the week, and you were watching him paint his eggs. Ever since that incedent one year ago, you generally avoided the main areas of the Warren; sticking to keeping a silent vigil from the small copses of trees lining the outer edges. _Like hell I'm reliving that horror show._ But, Bunny seems lonely today, so you kicked your own forthcomings in the ass for now and went over. _And who says I'm not a team player~._ He looks up as your deer shaped shadow encompasses him, grins, and motions you closer - patting the grass beside him. You lay down next to him, your head in his lap. The two of you had become quite comfortable around one another the past two years, and this had actually become a normal thing in your down time.

"Ya' know wha' I jus' realized Sheila?" Bunny asked, "I 'aven't go' a real name for ya'." He rubbed his chin, smearing a little bit of paint from his brush on his nose. "I mean, 'Sheila' works a'ight, bu' it's not special enough fo' a friend like you."

You lift your head slightly, pinning him with a gentle gaze. _D'aaawwww, I'm special~. I was wondering when this guy was gonna get to the nickname part of this relationship._ North had recently named you 'Malinki Iskra', ('Little One' in Russian) and Tooth named you 'Butterfly Friend'; she was too distracted by just about everything to really remember.

" 'ow 'bout-" Bunny was cut off by a titter from the direction of the stream. Looking over, you spot the Boy Stealing Skank #1, otherwise known as the water nymph from that fatal party two years ago. _Dafuck is she doing here?! She takes away my BunBun and I will seriously high-five her. In the face. With a fucking STEEL CHAIR._

"Call her 'Virginia Dare'" she said, "it's an old story, of a beautiful you maiden turned into a rare white doe by a jealous suitor. And to the native people who lived in that land, a white doe was revered about all else."

To your horror, Bunny nodded in approval. No! Bunny! Don't give in to her honeycoated lies! Sure, it sounded cool, but nothig from this bitch is ever acceptable. NOTHING. You got up and bounded away to your grotto, away from Bunny and She Who Will Not Be Named, pacing in irritation.

Suddenly, you felt a pang of sheer terror like you had never felt before. Startled, you trace the fear through the webs of soul-pieces, tracing it back to Tooth's feather. TOOTH! You could hear Bunny's loud thumping foot falls approaching steadily towards the grotto, but before he could enter you focused all of your energy on Tooth at her Palace. You felt your skin prickle, a slight pressure and- whoosh.

~~Le Tooth Palace~~

You arrive in a split second, the air making silent currents as it parts to make way for you. Before Tooth notices a random white doe sitting high above ground level in her Palace, you transform to your proper butterfly shape, thankful of her emotional, erratic behavior. _SHIT! That was kinda stupid, (f/n)! Pulling a scatter-brained Toothiana-type stunt like that!_ You fly over to Tooth. She spots you and you notice tears streaming down her face as she clutches something close to her chest. You jet towards her, taking stock of any damage to her or danger in the area. Finding none, you circle her head, trying to sort out the source of the hysterics.

"We had a fairy collision!" she sobs at you. Holding her cupped hands out, she shows you a tooth, "Th-thankfully it d-didn't chip b-but… i-if it had broken-" she breaks off, whimpering, and hands the tooth off to another fairy. You sense a concerned vibe coming from Bunny, but decide to ignore it. _Let him worry! He should feel like shit for listening to HER!_ You fly around Tooth and land on her nose, flapping your wings slowly - as to just show her the patterns on your wings like a hypnotist. She slowly calms down, _Thank JEGUS!_ and removes you from her nose.

"Thank you my butterfly friend. Would you like some sugar water?" Tooth flew over to her small lake, selecting a honey-coated flower petal to dip into the water, so you could sip off the droplets of water. "there you go!" she said, happy again. _Wooow, my life would be soooooo much easier if I was that mercurial_. "Well I have to be off with my fairies! You be safe, butterfly friend!"

You stayed and sipped the dew drops off the petal, relaxing in the soft sunlight streaming down. Soon, however, you noticed the comcerned feeling from Bunny had grown to anxiety, and anxiety had manifested into down-right worry. Finally, being the good little friend you are, you go back to the Warren to see what all the fuss is about.

You stand in your grotto in the Warren, but you can't sense Bunny anywhere. _Fuck. I should definitely be able to feel him if he's in the vicinity!_ You trot quickly to where he always sits, finding smashed eggs everywhere. You start to panic. _No! Nononononononononononono! This shit is NOT. HAPPENING. NOT. NOW._ You can't find Bunny anywhere and you turn frantic, until you find his Boomerang lying on the ground. You look closer at the ground and see odd, black sand everywhere. Littered among the patches of sand and grass are broken bodies, skeletal corpses of ruptured and decayed gritty flesh. You panic, never having seen such beings before. Knowing that you MUST alert the Guardians, and hating yourself for being in this situation, you contemplate going back to Tooth... This idea is quickly disbanded. She'd be too spazzy and freak out without getting down to business. Seeing no other option, you switch to your fox form, grabbing the boomerang in your teeth and automatically teleporting to North.

~~Le North Pole Workshop Skip~~

North stood in the Globe Room, laughing with his (what you guessed were) Yetis. The small elves were causing mischief, making a ginormous mess that North seems to miraculously ignore. _No wonder they call him St. Nick, he's always just too damn happy about something!_ His big, shining eyes land on you and a wide, white smile splits his face.

"Malinki Iskra (Little One)! You are back, yes?" he laughs heartily and offers you a cookie. You dismiss it with a shake of your small head. _Forget the confectionary delicacies! We have a situation here! All hands on deck, call in the troops, batten down the hatches, put on your big boy undies! WE HAVE TO HELP BUNBUN!_ The smile is whiped from his face when you drop the dust-covered boomerang at his feet. "What is this? Bunny's Boomerang? Why would you.." his eyes grow wide with understanding as he spots the sand. "PHIL! Prepare sled. I am going to Warren!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Aaaaaand PART 12! I know you want twelve, you want twelve of them! You want twelve parts! Ask, and ye shall recieve~! Ye shall have twelve, and more than twelve! A LOT! Well, as much I come up with! XD Enjoy, my snowflakes~~~~~~~~~(so many SQUIGGLIES! I have an obsession wif squigglies. WARNING: They WILL pop up in conveniently placed- er... Places.) THE OBVIOUS DISCLAIMER IS SO OBVIOUS THAT I CAN'T EVEN COMPREHEND THAT YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED IT YET. Art thou blind, heathen?! Naaaah, that would be silly~~ then you wouldn't be able to read this piece of awesomesauce shit that I made for you! And then I'd be sad~~~~ and that shit be bad bro. Like drugs and Mexican water. Don't make Azure sad. PostIt note that to your forehead. Mucho importante. Wow, I'm talking a lot. I'm just gonna, ya know, yeeaaaaBYE!**

* * *

**~Previously, in the Guardians' Guardian~**

 **The smile is whiped from his face when you drop the dust-covered boomerang at his feet. "What is this? Bunny's Boomerang? Why would you.." his eyes grow wide with understanding as he spots the sand. "PHIL! Prepare sled. I am going to Warren!"**

~And Now, Part 12~

North's Workshop is ripe with hustle and bustle, the Yetis springing _-or should the term be 'lumping'?_ \- to prepare the sleigh for North's departure. The big man himself was making his own preparations. You watched, impatiently pacing as he gathered up his coat upon his shoulders and strapped his dual sabers to his hips. When he turned to you, intending to pick you up and take you with him. Normally, you would've already been jumping at the sides of the sleigh, yipping in excitement. _C'mon, this sleigh is da bomb~ Everyone loves ze sleigh~_ This time, you back away slightly, shaking your head. North looks confused, not understanding. You just shake your head again, this time more vigorously, and proceed to tug him towards the loading dock by the laces of his boots. He chuckles, but moves along and into his seat. Taking the reins, he turns again just in time to see you wave your tail at him in farewell and teleport to the Warren. He stares, aghast, at the spot you'd just vacated. Knowing your strong will, he assures his conscience that you can take care of yourself, and flies off to the Warren. A quick flash of a snowglobe portal, and he's gone.

He arrives at the Warren, swords drawn and scowl blazing, expecting to find enemies ready to attack. He barrels through the tunnel opening, raring to go. Instead, he almost trips over you. Your still in your fox form, staring at his now sprawled position in canine exapseration. _Oohhhh, yeeesssss, very threatening. A fat old guy bumbling around, swinging his cute little swords. I've seen better on AFV. And dat shits crazy stupid._ You trot up to his upside down face, lick his nose, and then move past to the center of the Warren. Habitually, you morph into your doe form. This little detail is not missed by North, now on his feet, who is already puzzled by your previous 'POOF' trick back at the Pole. He gapes at you, yet attempts to appear discreet.

"Little One? Are you my Malinki Iskra?" He's wary of you, not sure of this new change. You hesitantly nod. _Last time this happened, I was stripped of my closest friend. Baby steps..._ "Did Manny create you?do you have other forms?" A small whisper in your head, most obviously Mim, gives its assent to your decision. _Oh, so NOW its okay to spill the beans. Thaaanks, broski. Feelin the love, here._ You nod again. Moving to your grotto, you pull out the stash of emergency clothes from a small crevice near the entrance. Carrying the clothes back to the center clearing and finding a proper sized bush, you morph again for North. This time, you take your human form. It has been a long time since you'd used your original body. Your (h/l/c) hair is messy and knotted, and your (s/c) skin slightly smudged with grime. Wrinkling your nose, you dress quickly and come out to confront your excited Russian companion.

"H-Hi Nooorth-th." Your voice is smoky and scratched, not having been used since... Well, lets just say you haven't used it in a while. _Sweet Baby Jesus, I sound like a fucking smoker. Uuugggghhhhh. Ew._ "Umm, do you remember me?" A look passes over North's face. His eyes flicker, as if watching a movie. _Mim must be showing him the memories he took away. I wonder if he provides mental popcorn for the show..._ Suddenly, a hint of recognition spreads across his features. He smiles at you, coming forward to hug you tightly.

"AhahaHAH! (F/N)! Of course, the wee little devil of Jack's!" you cringe at this, his name stabbing you deeply, "How I forget!" He swings you both in circles, your heels flying and your head going fuzzy. _Well, SOMEONE missed me. But if I could just... Move..._

"N-North... Ribs... Fracturing... Internal bleeding... Imminent..." You gasp in his ear. He chuckles again, quickly dropping you to the ground. You bend over, gasping and grabbing him for balance as you hold your aching midriff. After a moment, you right yourself and look to North again.

"North, its great to see you too, but we have to inform the others. Bunny is in terrible danger. Go quickly, I need to have a private converstaion with Mim/Manny... And hopefully get a bath..." North nods.

"Of course, Little One. Take as much time as necessary." With this, he moves off to find his sleigh. You take a seat at the base of a nearby tree, ready for an argument of a lifetime.

"Hey, Mim? Ummmm, I think we kinda maybe sorta have a situation here."

 ** _Yes, (f/n), it appears we do._**

"Hehehe... Soooo, what're we gonna do? I HAVE to be able to communicate with them, and that is nigh near IMPOSSIBLE while frozen and silent. I-I... I am asking you in the kindest and most supplicant voice right now: Please, lift my restrictions. I won't let my feelings get in the way! I'll be a true soldier and get the job done without any bumps! I promise! Besides, it seems he's moved on quite well..." Mim is silent for a moment, probably trying to decide the best course of action. After a while, he sighs.

 ** _My dearest (f/n), I will lift the barriers. But please, you will not be able to protect them all with your heart set on only one._**

You breath deep in relief and elation. "Thank you, Mim. I understand."

 ** _Just be careful, child. You are worth more than you know._**

With this, you feel his presence fade away. Jumping up, you feel a giddy sensation run through you. You squeal, dancing spazzily as you make you way to a small waterfall near the edges of the Warren. You strip quickly, eager to be clean again. _CLEANCLEANCLEANCLEANCLEAN_ Sliding into the cold water, you shiver at the delicious feeling of it against your skin. Taking a small fern from the edge of the pool, you use it to scrub the dirt from your body. _God, I must've looked like a fucking leopard or something with all these spots._ Finally managing to free yourself of your dirty confines, you move to deeper water. Dipping below the surface, you runs your hands through your (h/c) mane of snarls and tangles. _I guess it IS pretty nifty that I don't HAVE to breath anymore~ North must've cracked a few ribs though... Owwwwieeee_

Coming back to the surface, you smooth your hair back from your face. Shaking the water from your ear, you decide on a swim. You go for around 12 laps, {hehe~ 12~ get it~ cuz its part 12~ Hehehehe~ STFU author-chan~} before you stop. You aren't tired, you can't get tired. What stops you is how the air had turned almost as cold as the water. You stay very still, feeling the temperature drop behind you. When it drops to about freezing, you turn abruptly, startling Jack and splashing him with water -which turns to ice shards upon impact. He's hovering over the surface of the pool, seemingly stunned, as if he didn't expect you to notice him peeping in on your bathing time~. Your glare is mutinous, ready to make him bald if looks any farther down than your eyes. Both of you stare at each other, a contest of wills. After around 30 seconds, Jack's eyes ghost downward.

"THE FUCK, DUDE." You grab his foot and pull him under the water. He splutters to the surface, but you'd already swam to shore and hidden behind a rock. "DON'T YOU KNOW ITS WRONG TO WATCH A LADY BATH?! PERVERTED BASTARD, POPSICLE DICKFACE, ICE FILLED ASSHAT." You quickly dress as your very UN-ladylike insults fly~, then come out from your hiding place, foot tapping and face thunderous. "WHY I OUGHTTA-" your promising threat is cut short by a familiar and disgusting voice coming from the opposite bank.

"JAAACK! {dis bitch don't deserve mah squigglies} Water you doing here, baby? I thought you current gonna visit until Saturday!" {haha. I made her use stupid water-based puns. Bitch got no swag~~ Only Feferi and her ancestors be dat awesomesauce} _DIS BITCH THO. I AM SICK AND TIRED OF HER SLUT-TASTICNESS. I'M GONNA KILLABITCH_. The Water Nymph from earlier slips slinkily into the water, wrapping herself around Jack like a disease. With a snort of disgust, you turn and head for the clearing.

"H-Hey! Wait up!" You hear Jack call out from the water. Not bothering to turn around, you lift your middle finger in salute to his Frozen Asshole Highness. Teleporting to North's soul piece resonance, you step quickly into a dark hallway. You wipe the angry tears from your (e/c) eyes, not wanting North and the others to see you weak. You ARE they're protector, after all.

 _Yeah, some protector. This shit is gonna be interesting..._


	13. Chapter 13

**~Previously, in the Guardians' Guardian~**

 **"H-Hey! Wait up!" You hear Jack call out from the water. Not bothering to turn around, you lift your middle finger in salute to his Frozen Asshole Highness. Teleporting to North's soul piece resonance, you step quickly into a dark hallway. You wipe the angry tears from your (e/c) eyes, not wanting North and the others to see you weak. You ARE they're protector, after all.**

Aaaaand, Part 13~~

You find the others waiting in the fireplace room overlooking the globe. The fire rumbles lowly behind them, their unique silhouettes flickering and dancing across the stone floor. Tooth is the first to notice your entrance, zooming over and glomping you with a spine-snapping embrace. _How many times am I going to be fucking broken in half today?!_ She squeals, pulling back to look into your (e/c) eyes.

"OHMYGOODNESS! ITS YOU~! ITS REALLY REALLY YOU! I can't believe I forgot the last time! And you were my butterfly, weren't you? Sparkling Sweet Dental Floss, I feel like we're already sisters!" She pulls you close again, practically giving you whiplash from having shaken you during her outburst. You gingerly reach up and pat her on the back, then tap her shoulder, and finally having to resort to practically ripping her feathers out for permission to be released. She jumps back almost immediately, tittering with excitement and jitters.

While you attempt to realign your spine, Sandy glides his way to your side. You remember little of him from when you were first discovered by the Guardians, recalling faintly that he'd been sleeping in the overstuffed armchair by the fire. You'd also been put in charge of only Tooth, North, and Bunny, leaving Sandy and Jack to Nightlight. You look down at his wide face, taking in his gentle smile and kind eyes. You try to remain emotionless, but its impossible. _Aaaawwwwww, I want a plushy of this guy! This would sell like crazy! So damn adorable!_ With this inner fangirl moment, you bend down and pull Sandy into a swift and cuddly hug. He seems quite happy with it, albeit surprised.

"Hi, Sandy! I'm (f/n). I guess we've never been properly introduced~!" You watch as the sand forms symbols above his head, signing away. 'Its wonderful to meet you too!' is what you seem to gather. You giggle, squeezing him briefly again. You release him with a wide smile, then look to North. He beams at you with a twinkle in his eye.

"(F/n)! My dearest Malinki Adin {PROPER WORDING FOR 'Little One'. Author-chan don't speaks Russians so SANKU uvray12 for enlightening me!}! At last we get proper greeting, yes?" You nod happily, rushing over to give the large man a hug of his own. He chuckles at your antics, returning the affection - at least without the amount of pressure the feathery whacko had used. You move back again, turning to address the others.

"Guys, it is so great to finally meet all of you properly! I would love to just sit here and talk for hours, but right now we have some serious shit going down." You turn to North, "You told them?" He nods in confirmation. "Then I don't see why we're still here. We need to go check out the Warren again." _And hopefully, we don't run into Jack along the way._ The thought sends unnamed shivers down your spine. You quickly gather yourself and move towards the landing dock for North's sleigh. As you turn, you catch them sneaking identical, pointed glances at one another. You raise a questioning brow over your shoulder, "What?" They shake their heads quickly, apparently it was nothing. You just shrug and move on ahead of them, your (h/l/c) hair swinging softy behind you. _Weirdos~_ ~

Tooth leans to North, "Is that her? I mean 'HER'? I thought she-"

"I think so, Tooth. She doesn't appear to remember. We must keep it secret. She always remembers with time." North pats her conspiritorially on the arm and marches after you. Looking to Sandy, she gives him a nervous hum and zooms off down the hall. He follows close behind, his own thoughts swirling golden in his mind.


	14. Chapter 14

**Previously, in the Guardians' Guardian**

 **Tooth leans to North, "Is that her? I mean 'HER'? I thought she-"**

 **"I think so, Tooth. She doesn't appear to remember. We must keep it secret. She always remembers with time." North pats her conspiritorially on the arm and marches after you. Looking to Sandy, she gives him a nervous hum and zooms off down the hall. He follows close behind, his own thoughts swirling golden in his mind.**

~~And now, Part 14~~

The sleigh ride to the Warren was quick, if not as exhilerating as always. There was just something about riding in Santa's sleigh... Probably the fact that it was SANTA'S SLEIGH. At first, the Guardians expected you to have already teleported back, but, as you'd pointed out, it was your job to watch them all so they 'just need to suck it and deal with the constant hovering'. The Warren is quiet, the soft sounds of the River Dye {That's what I call Bunny's paint river~ It needed one~} and the whistling of the wind through the tunnels being the only sounds to break the silence. The evidence of the fight is still scattered about the ground; swathes of black sand piled here and there and little decayed bodies slowly rotting away in the grass. _If I have to fight zombies I'm gonna need a cowboy hat, a gun, a south Georgia accent, and a cheating bitch- OH WAIT! I have one of those~ Nevermind~_ The Guardians stiffen at the sight of the sand, gravely exchanging glances. But they seem stumped as to the identification of the decrepit figures. You walk up to one, grabbing a nearby stick and poking it. You watch in intense fascination as it slowly turns to goo.

"Oh dear. It seems your situation is worse than I'd feared." You turn around, wielding your goo-stick threateningly in the face of the- _oh. Its just Mim. Wait waaaht._

"MIM. Literally WTH. Why're you here?" You drop the stick and rush to him, sticking your face extreeeemely close and glaring at him. His white-ashen eyes widen at your close proximity and seeming lack of respect for personal space. Your (e/c) eyes stare defiantly into his, demanding an explanation. _Why is he here? Does he think I can't handle it? Is he gonna fuck shit up again? I have everything under control! If he so much as thinks about flipping my shit I swear I will legitimately BITE HIS LITTLE LUNAR HEAD OFF._ Little did you know that you were ranting out loud... Yeaaaa that's a thing...

The Guardians are flabbergasted, { XD that word tho~} having never even hoped in their wildest dreams to have the pleasure of meeting the one-and-only MIM/MANNY! And there you were, mouthing off at him like talking to him was an everyday thing.

You were finally starting to wind down from your intimidating tirade (you'd been on your tip toes to get in his face; he was too damn tall!) when you heard a shout come from somewhere behind you. You swivel around, only to be tackled to the ground by a very chilly asshole. You look past Jack's mop of white hair, glaring daggers at Mim for moving out of the way and not warning you of your now imminent doom. Mim just shrugs, looking all innocent and shit. You shift your (e/c) gaze back to aforementioned chilly asshole. He's babbling on and on about something, which is muffled in your neck. His arms are wrapped tightly around your middle, his body flush against yours, leaving you fighting down a blush. _God, Jack, why are your abs so hard? Jeesh go eat a few donuts or something!_ You sigh, flicking the side of his head to silence his rambling.

"Oww!" He looks up at you, a pout gilding his face. His eyes are the more intense than you remembered, a hard icey blue that stare deep into your own (e/c) ones. Your cheeks turn the slightest bit of pink, despite your struggles, and you finally manag to shove him off. The Guardians are too busy worshipping the ground that Mim walks upon to notice your little tackle-tumble routine, so you turn your full attention to Jack.

"What the fuck was that for?! The ground is not as soft as it looks, Popsicle Breath," you growl at him. He just stares at you, all serious like. Which kinda freaks you out because Jack is rarely ever serious.

"(F/n)... I'm sorry about earlier, I-"

"JAAAAACKIIIIEEEEE!" _Oh holy shitfuck and DUCKS. NO WAY IN HELL._ In comes Nympho-bitch. She sees Jack close to you and runs towards you.

"SHUT UP, WILL YOU?!" Jack's yell startles you, but what comes next is probably the most hilarious thing you had ever witnessed in your entire memorable life. Jack sends a sheet of ice in front of her, causing her to slip and land on her ass. She slides quite dramatically off to the side. Persistent slut she is, she attempts to scoot her way back again. He summons a wind, which pushes her away, and shoots a blast of ice in her direction. She freezes in a giant pillar, her eyes wide and lips completely duck like. She's half-way twerking and her arms are bent like chicken wings. Her position is so stupid and the scene is so random, that it takes a moment for your brain to process. Once you finally come to terms with the fact that hilarity of this level is actually possible, you die. Your laughter is so intense that it almost immediately brings tears to your eyes. You ROFL. You ROFL so hard that you get grass stains on your face, arms, and legs. Jack looks satisfied with his work, having silenced the wench and put a smile on your face. When you finally stop, after maybe 10-15 minutes, you turn your gaze back to Jack. He's taken aback by what he sees. You lay on the ground, your (h/l/c) hair fanning out above your head, the sun shining in a halo around your body. Your face is flushed and body quite breathless from your laughter. Your chest heaves slightly with each pant, and your (e/c) eyes twinkle with lingering merriment. You smile at him, causing his heart to stutter. He gulps, attempting to alleviate the sudden dryness in his throat. Jack turns his head away, trying (and failing) to hide the blush spreading over his face. You chuckle, leaning up to hug him. He stiffens, but soon accepts the gesture, returning it with his arms wrapping gently around your back.

"OMFG, that right there just freed you from every single thing you've done wrong." Jack grins at this, leaning back to look into your (e/c) eyes. An abrupt cough tears your gazes apart, seeking out Mim to find him tapping his foot and looking very nonplussed. You scramble back, your face doing an obscenely amazing impression of one of Italy's tomatoes. _Okay, serious shit time. Focus! Ignore the adorable Snowman glancing in your direction! Think of the zombies!_ You wipe all emotions from your face, looking to Mim. He raises an eyebrow, but speaks as though no amazing act of justice had been served on a silver platter (it so had, but he didn't wanna admit it~).

"As I said earlier, this situation is more perilous than I'd feared. These creatures... They are too formidable. I cannot allow you to undertake this task alone."

"Why? We've beaten Pitch before! And have survived quite well without you!" Jack sounds a bit irritated, but you're supposed to be ignoring him so you wouldn't know. Mim's face looks pained. His eyes are mournful.

"I know these creatures. I have not seen them in millenia. The person you're facing is much worse than you could ever imagine... He's the Lord of the Dead... The Dark One... Hades... How could you stand to face my own brother?"


	15. Dark Interlude

**ZE OBVIOUZ DIZCLAIMERRR! I own ze plot and idea for Monsieur Hades and Pitch belongs to Dreamworks~**

* * *

~~Hades POV~~

You hear Pitch talking himself. He's pacing nervously back and forth behind your brooding darkness, judging from the constant shift of placement of his voice, boasting over how worried the Guardians will be when they find that ridiculous over sized rabbit is gone and that your beautiful minions were 'mercifully aided' by his pathetic black sand. You stand calmly, your hands grasped behind your back, you midnight black robe rippling wthout the need of a breeze, your crown of thorns and small skulls wreathing your head. You feel yourself start to glare at his pathetic replica of the Guardian of Wonder's globe, flaming eyes slowly envisioning it alight with your dark hellfire.

"But, the looks on their faces!" Pitch screamed in delight. You'd had quite enough of his stupid antics, and it was starting to show, his face dropping as you turn to face him.

"YOU SEEM TO FORGET THEY HAVE 'HER'!" the walls shaking at the magnitude of your voice, darkness seeping from your pores and infesting the crevices, "YOU FORGET THAT MY BROTHER IS THEIR LEADER! THAT THE MAN IN THE MOON IS THEIR LEADER! I ASSURE YOU, HIS HATRED FOR ME IS DEEPER THAN YOUR PATHETIC JEALOUSY OF THE GUARDIANS!" You stalk him, towering over his sniveling frame. Your glare menacing as you drive a finger into his chest, "I am the Lord Hades, Lord of Death, Ruler of Darkness itself, and yet, HE took her from my clutches. I WILL NOT let that woman escape me again. I will stop at nothing, your petty ventures mean nothing to me. Just get me close to the girl. No matter what, remember: I am the reason you get your revenge," you spit into his face. The room had gone increasingly still and silent after your tirade, the pathetic squabbler shaking at your rage.

"B-but, if i may be so bold, Lord Hades, why do you hate the girl so much..." Pitch flinches as your gaze hardens.

"You presume much to believe I hate her," you laugh dryly and poke him again. "Do not underestimate the power of a spurned man."

You turn away, looking around his 'lair'. It could not compare to the underworld, but it would have to do. You longed for Mim's defeat as much as he wanted the destruction of those foolish Guardians. After the destruction of your brother, you could kill him. You ponder for a moment, perhaps he could be of use. You look at him cowering next to his globe, muttering again, and dismiss the idea. He'll never amount to anything. After all, whats a bad dream compared to Death, itself?


	16. Dark Interlude II

~Hades' POV~

 ** _Your brother sits across from you, laughing and joking as the two of you shared spiced wine. You were closer than most brothers were, you never fought and you always took each other into account. You had to, of course, or else you'd die out here on the farm your parents had left to you._**

 ** _Neither you nor your brother wondered why your parents had left, but that did not matter in your eyes. You revered him and the two of you were handy; he worked the forge with blessed skill, and you, being exceptionally gifted with plants and live stock, did well keeping the business up as long as your brother dear kept the tools sharp..._**

You wake slightly, groggily thinking to yourself. _No, "brother dear" was not..._ Sleep tugs at you and your eyes sliding shut quickly...

 ** _Years later, you had a new neighbor. A girl and her brother. And she was stunning. She had the most beautiful hair, the most piercing eyes, the most melodious laugh - she was perfection._**

 ** _You were walking along looking at the wildflowers that had bloomed this year. You find a few quite lovely flowers that bloomed brighter than all the others. They deserved to be hers. You pick them and tie them with a white ribbon. Slowly, you walk to her house, thinking of what you would say._**

 ** _You finally see her small house, her brother in the field. Upon inquiry, he informs you his sister is, indeed, inside the house. You walk hesitantly up the steps and knock on the door. She opens it, her face flushing from what you assume was laughter, her glimmering eyes meeting yours. You open your mouth to speak, but before you utter a word you hear your brother's voice. You walk inside, about to pull the flowers from behind your back, but find your brother opening a small wooden box. He reveals a small key, beautifully crafted, into a necklace. It had silver gilding its edges, and it was... exquisite._**

 ** _Fury bubbles in your chest. Fury hotter than anything you had ever felt. You drop the flowers and turn, stalking out of the flowers, picked so perfectly for her, are crushed beneath your feet..._**

 _No, no._ You wake yourself. You did not want to think of this, not now, not when you was so close... Your eyes slip shut, refusing your requests...

 ** _You storm into your brothers forge, you scream and look around, finding his favorite forging hammer. You pick it up, hefting it in your hands. Yes, yes this will do... You retire early that night, ignoring "brother dear's" requests for your company. Soon, now. Soon, he would sleep._**

 ** _You hear him drink himself to sleep. Perfect. You walk out of your room, quietly, so, so quietly. You hover over his sleeping form, hefting the hammer slightly. The weight feels malicious in your hand. You raise your arm, ready to swing, and hesitate. He's your brother. You love him more than anything - No. You love her more. You let the hammer fall, crushing his skull, killing him with out a sound... Or a regret._**

 ** _Something inside you snaps, you feel darkness curling, swirling, sweeping around you, sweeping INTO you. You feel power, the power death brings, the power you had in bringing him his death. You can almost SEE the light in you fading away, retreating from the darkness filling you. And you welcome the dark with open arms._**

 ** _You grin as you walk toward her house. You glance at the full moon. The surface, which used to be smooth, now resembles a weeping man. Your imagination. You sneak into her house, no sound from your newly blackened form. You look down at her, and realize, as you see the key dangling from her neck, she can never love you. You scream in anger and her eyes flash open, wide with terror as your hammer finds her skull._**

 ** _Brightness fills the room, excluding where you're standing. Light and dark seem to fight over her body, both trying to take her, to claim your soul. Slowly, ever so slowly, they settle into her. Half light, half dark. You have created something you, and brother dear, will never be able to touch..._**

You wake and throw yourself to your knees, thinking of your lost love. She was neither dead nor alive. Neither light, nor dark. She must be born, so that she could die. The universe must always have balance. You throw your head back and wail, you wail until your throat is raw. The darkness grows blacker with your rage. The universe must have balance...


	17. The Light in the Dark

~Mim's POV~

The moon is full tonight, your powers at their strongest. Unlike your brother, your power wanes and waxes with the moon. Death is ever present, so his power never fluxuates - unless there is some sort of influenza, in which he becomes more powerful, or a rise in the birth rate, counteracting the deaths.

You gaze down at the earth and think on that fateful night. You remember only after the hammer struck you...

 ** _You remember the light caressing you, gently tickling you, like a soft breeze of wind. It breathed you in, and you went willingly. You appear in a room, stark and white with its light, but that was not what mattered. You were dead, and the universe had chosen you. The room was pale but thats all that registered. The girl! Your love! She was alone down there with your brother on the lose! You frantically try to reach her, somehow, your soul aching to find hers, but not in death. She must live. She deserved to live._**

 ** _You watch in horror as your brother sneaks into the house. You raise your hand to you mouth and blow her a kiss. You see a wave of light race toward her. He raises his hammer. Was the light running faster? You rake your hand through your hair. This had to work. The light finds her, caresses her, as his hammer strikes with brutal force, unleashing a torrent of darkness trying to seize her. The light and the dark fight over her slackened body, finally settling into her. You fall to your knees, weeping, you will never have her again. "Hush," something seemed to whisper in your mind, "I am not dead, but neither am I alive. You saved me, but I don't remember why or how. Who are you?" You weep harder at her loss of memory. She watches in sorrow, not knowing you, not knowing how to comfort you. In between your gasps you whisper quietly back, "I am the Man In The Moon..."_**

You snap back, shifting your gaze toward (f/n) looking at Jack, far away in the mortal world. You had tried to save her from her love of the Frost Man, and failed. She would never remember the truth. You fall to your knees and sigh. The love between her and Jack was as doomed as your love for that girl. She was neither dead nor alive. Neither light, nor dark. She must be born, so that she could die. The universe must always have balance. You throw your head back and wail, you wail until your throat is raw. The moon turns blue, a reflection of your tears. The universe must have balance.


	18. Chapter 15

_**OKAY. LETS GOOOOO! *runs off majestically into the sunset* (Do I really need the disclaimer anymore? Really? OMG YOU GUYS SWEEENNEEEYY TOOODDDDDD. HOLY JEGUS I LOVE THIS MOVIE AND ITS SOUNDTRACKS)**_

* * *

 **Previously, in the Guardians' Guardian (Before the Interludes~~)**

 **"As I said earlier, this situation is more perilous than I'd feared. These creatures... They are too formidable. I cannot allow you to undertake this task alone."**

 **"Why? We've beaten Pitch before! And have survived quite well without you!" Jack sounds a bit irritated, but you're supposed to be ignoring him so you wouldn't know. Mim's face looks pained. His eyes are mournful.**

 **"I know these creatures. I have not seen them in millenia. The person you're facing is much worse than you could ever imagine... He's the Lord of the Dead... The Dark One... Hades... How could you stand to face my own brother?"**

~~Part 15 (finally)~~

You looked at Mim blankly. I mean, of course his words registered, you weren't deaf, but the statement required a moment of silence. _And my brain deserves a 21 gun salute..._ When you finally snapped back to reality, your (e/c) bugged out of her head. "Moon Man say WHAAAAT?" The exclamation seemed to stir the others as well, jumping slightly at your tone. Mim sends you a grieved glance, acknowledging you with a nod.

"Yes, my brother. His name is Hades, Lord of Death. He wasn't always like that, just as I was also chosen. We were great companions, closer than any beings could have been. But then..." Mim drops off with a mournful, distant look in his eyes. You feel an urge to help him, but decide not to act on it. _He's a big boy, he can help himself. Nothing I can do anyway..._ He pulls himself from his thoughts, the past quickly fading from his milky eyes. "Anyway, Hades is dangerous. Too dangerous for any of you to handle as you are. You must come with me, I must train you all. If we have any chance of getting E. Aster Bunnymund back, this would be it." With that being said, he raises his hands and you snap out of existence. The Warren echoes the drip drip drip of melting ice as the giant block of frozen-nymph sits abandoned among a field of black goo-zombies...

When you pop back into reality, you look around with wide, wondering eyes. This definitely ain't the moon. You stand at the edge of a large valley. To your left lies a waterfall, roaring and foaming with power, emptying into a river below that runs into woods that you spot not too far away. The trees seem to span across the expanse, clearings and meadows spreckled here and there. You look back to the waterfall, finding a large, old, stone building residing next to the base. It looked centuries old, at least three stories tall with Roman style roof tiles and working dark-wood shutters on the arched windows. There was ivy running up the front, not covering it but adding character and color with the sparse reddish flowers sprouting in the vines. A small worn dirt path led to a large, carved set of cherry wood doors. There were rought iron door knockers, shaped in snarling wolf heads. Along the path ran perfectly kept flowers, looking professionally trimmed and maintained. A river-rock chimney ran up the right side of the building, softly smoking. The river ran next to it on the right side, turning a small waterwheel. On the left, a grove of aspen trees creep close to the stone.

You find yourself gawking at the beautiful house in front of you, your jaw dropping to your ankles. Glancing at Mim, you find the will to ask "Who's house is this and how much do they want for it?" I want it. I want it bad. Mim chuckles at you, shaking his head.

"It belongs to a long time friend of mine," he replies, "and I don't suspect she'd ever sell it. She hasn't been home in a long time, however, so I don't think she'll mind." With that, he leads you all down the path to the house. As you follow, you notice Jack looking at you. You try not to meet his gaze. He was the reason you went through all those... er... complications, but you wouldn't judge him that badly. He was still your ward, afterall. But you didn't think you would let yourself fall so far for him again. You couldn't allow it, not while Bunny was in trouble and Hades was lurking. _Maybe... After? Mim could release me, I wouldn't have anything else to do... I wonder if he'll remember everything... The kiss..._ The thought sends tingles through your heating cheeks. You shake your head at the thoughts like a swimmer would shake water from his ears.

You reach the house, gazing up at the impressive shadow it extends. Mim turns back to you all, watching patiently as you gather on the lush front lawn. Toothiana hovers lightly around the group, zipping here and there to take in the smaller details of your surroundings. North has a serious look on his face, standing with his arms crossed and feet spread slightly. Sandy giddily glides over to the flowers, adoring over their bright color. Jack stands a little ways from you, sending furtive glances your way every now and again. You finger your key necklace as Mim speaks again. "We've come here to train-" _Yes yes we've covered that_ "-so make yourselves comfy. The house is protected, so no one can enter except for the owner. We'll camp out here, since we'll be safe within its boundaries. Now, I would like you all to come forward please, one at a time. I'll give you an object and tell you what to do with it. Once you have mastered the task, we'll move on. Toothiana, if you'd be so kind." Tooth flutters over to Mim's side, her rainbowy, iridescent feathers showing just how white Mim's façade was. He looked like a granite pillare next to a stained-glass window. He turned to her, slipping something from his robes. You couldn't see what it was, but Tooth gasped softly at the sight of it. He murmured softly, too softly for even you to hear with your advanced senses. She nodded at what he's said and zoomed away, calling out for her baby tooth workers.

Mim smiled at North, gesturing him over with a hand. North gathered himself and strode over. Mim clapped him on the arm softly, smiling and whispering again. He slipped something into North's hand and withdrew. North glances down, his face looking almost stony, before looking back up at Mim and nodding grimly. He took a snowglobe from his pocket and threw it to the ground, calling for his yetis. Three came through the portal and lumbered after him and into the shadows of the trees.

Mim turns to Jack giving him a firm look and a nod of the head to come along. Jack barely glances in your direction as he passes, but you still notice. You turn your (e/c) eyes away to the waterfall, tucking some (h/l/c) hair behind your ear. You catch a glimpse of the conversation out of the corner of your vision, seeing Mim speak seriously to him and Jack send a look in your direction. You look away completely, not wanting to be caught watching.

When Mim finally calls your name, you look back to find Jack nowhere to be seen. Shaking off a feeling of dissapointment at his departure, you walk over to Mim. He looks at you, a warm smile on his pale lips. "(F/n), I must say, you have grown since I've first given you this position." You shrug, not really denying it. _I worked my ass off, become emotionally compromised, and lose one of my wards and best friends to an evil Lord of the Dead. It changes a person._ "I would like to give you something - well, more like restore it..." You narrow your eyes in confusion. Da heck is that supposed to mean? You tense when he reacges out and grabs your key necklace. The old, rusted piece of metal; so close to your heart, you can't even remember where you got it from. Its been with you as long as you can remember. He lifts the leather thong {thats an old word for a strip of leather used as a necklace, ppl. Don't go funky on me} from around your neck. Holding the key tightly in his grasp, he closes his eyes. His hand holding the key starts to glow, a soft white light that makes you tense in worry that he'd ruin your treasure. _If he breaks that, I'm gonna break his face. Don't care who he is._ You let out a relieved sigh when he opens his hand again, only to gasp out in shock. There, in place of your old, rusty, worn out key, sits a shining piece of art. An intricately crafted mix of silver and gems shimmer in the sun beams. He puts it back around your neck, being gentle and moving your (h/l/c) hair from your face. His fingers brush a trail along your cheekbone, but your too absorbed in the newly restored object to notice. You look up at him, catching an unknown emotion leaving his eyes. You dismiss it, leaning in to hug him.

"OMGOMGOMG THANK YOU SO MUCH! Are you sure this is the same thing? I'm pretty sure its not but I'm keeping it! Thank you so much its beautiful!" He smiles at you, putting his hands on your shoulders.

"You're quite welcome, my dear (f/n). And I assure you it is, in fact, the same key. Now, to begin your training," with this, his face becomes serious, "You must go find a secluded spot. Then, I need you to focus on something light. Like there are feathers gliding around in your chest. Slowly feel each feather drift, guide each one to one of your limbs, and then pull them together. Don't move, just feel the key in your hands. Understand?" You nod. _Seems simple enough. At least I don't have to bite my thumb or something. That sucks..._ He turns you in the right direction, giving you a gentle nudge. You throw him a 'don't-push-me-bitch' look over your shoulder. He just waves you along. Rolling your eyes, you waddle off in the direction of the river. Passing Sandy, you notice that Mim hasn't called him up. _I guess Sandy's just so badass he has nothing left to be taught. Super Samurai Master Sandy. That's got a nice ring to it._

Reaching the river, you find a nice place among the rocks and cat-tails and start the exercise. Halfway through, you start to feel a tingly heat in your palms and a chilling cold in your finger tips. Peeking an eye open, you gasp at what you see...

 ** _IN THE FACE._**


	19. Chapter 16

**Previously, in the Guardians' Guardian**

 **Reaching the river, you find a nice place among the rocks and cat-tails and start the exercise. Halfway through, you start to feel a tingly heat in your palms and a chilling cold in your finger tips. Peeking an eye open, you gasp at what you see...**

I Give You... Part 16

Its been three weeks since you all had started training and you had to say, you were pretty badass. Mim had warned you to never share your powers with anyone, not even the Guardians, so you were more like a secret badass. _Well, I guess it'll just be even more awesome to unleash my powers when we go rescue BunBun!... Whenever that is..._ Yeah, it's been three weeks and Mim has dropped no hints about when the rescue mission was going to take place. You sighed, leaning against a rock near the river. The flow of the water seemed to calm you down, drawing away your stress and worry momentarily. As you relaxed, you remembered the Incident from a week ago and felt your face heat up. Yes. The Incident...

{dun. Dun. DDAAAAHHHHNNNN}  
~~~flashback flashback flashback...~~~

You were chilling in the daisy clearing, the late afternoon breeze cooling your aching muscles after a long and grueling training session. The daisy clearing was, literally, a clearing in the forest filled with wild daisies. You enjoyed their sweet fragrance and the seclusion the surrounding trees provided. Anywho, there you were. Minding your own business. When all of a sudden a particular winter spirit comes falling out of the sky and straight into your lap.

"WAHRGARBLLSDBEDB- JA-mph! WHAT THE FLYING YOYO'S ARE YOU DOING, YOU NUT MONKEY?! YOUR FAT ASS IS CRUSHING ME!"Jack just rolls to the side, sending you a sheepish grin.

"Whoops, sorry Frostbite! I just wanted to hang out!" You and Jack had gotten close again over the past two weeks. Not enough that your raging teen hormones expected anything, but enough to be somewhat okay again. _Stupid ass WHOREmones more like it... God I swear they're not even mine! Its like God infected me with Kardashian syndrome! Can't help but want that- WOAH. THERE. YA SEE? WHOREmones!_ You couldn't help but glance at his abs, which were clearly visible. His sweatshirt was riding up from the fall and rolling off of you. _Is it wrong that I want to lick those? Just a taste isn't bad... Right?_ You looked back at his face, only to find Jack smirking devilishly at you.

"W-What? Oh! I just finished today's set, Jack. I'm kinda bushed." You look away, trying to pull off cool and aloof. _Who? Me? Eye-raping your abs? NNNAAAAHHHHH_.

"Awwww, please (y/n)? I have a fun place to go, c'mon!" With this he grabs your hand and drags you off. You dig in your heels, halting his forceful antics. You were tired and all the pent up angst was putting you in a seriously foul mood.

"Jack no! Just, leave me alone please!" You pull your wrist from his grasp and turn back to the daisies.

"What, are flowers better than me now?" Jack pops in front of you, forcing you to swerve around him.

"Yes, now please leave." _I'm really getting pissed, Frosty..._

"No! I want to be friends again, (y/n), but you keep shrugging me off!" _I swear, Jack, just leave me alone!_

"Jack, seriously, I am too tired to play right now!" _Now MOVE YOUR ASS before I do something I am totally going to regret later!_ You march to the far side of the daisies, attempting to ignore how his hair was shining gorgeously in the sun and his eyes were twinkling dangerously.

"Why do you keep avoiding me?!" He shouts after you. You feel his hand on your elbow and snap.

"YOU WANNA KNOW WHY I'VE BEEN AVOIDING YOU?! IT WAS BECAUSE IF I GOT ANYWHERE NEAR YOU I WAS GOING TO DO THIS!" _You asked for it, Popsicle Breath._ You whirl around, grab him by the collar of his sweatshirt, and kiss him full on the mouth. Jack stiffens for a moment. The he relaxes pulls you closer, moving into the kiss and weaving his hands into your (h/l/c) hair. His lips hungrily attack yours, pulling and tugging against you with a frenzy. You respond with a ferocity, gripping him even harder. After a moment you break apart, panting heavily. _I may not need to breath anymore, but that sure as Hell made me breathless! Wait. DID I JUST KISS HIM?! Dammit, what happened to 'don't get close again?!'_ With this thought, you turn tail and run.

You hear him call after you, speeding to catch you. You change into your cheetah form, sprinting as fast as you could back to the house. You don't acknowledge the others as you change back again mid-stride and launch yourself into the house, not comprehending the fact that you just entered the house that is impossible to enter. Seriously, everyone had tried getting inside only to find the doors and windows sealed tightly shut. You'd never bothered, too busy training and worrying about Jack and Bunny. But now it seems you are the exception to the fact. You found an empty room and cried. Cried for all the emotions you didn't want, for all the stupid ass things you already did, and for Bunny. He was all alone while you were just sitting here snogging with Jack! What kind of friend were you?

{Considering I'm an ass, I won't end it there}  
~~~Bring it on back now~~~

You hang your head in your hands, forcing the embarrassing feelings down deep. _I don't need this shit right now. Mim says he has important news to discuss. Need to focus, (y/n)._ Getting up, you walk over to where Mim and the Guardians are standing. Purposely avoiding Jack's looks and person, you turn a stony (e/c) stare to Mim.

"I've received startling news. I received a note from Hades not too long ago. He states that only if we hand over (y/n) at the Warren, he will release Bunnymund." A raucous cacophony of refusals sounded in your ears, even as you nodded your head in agreement. If this was the only way Hades was willing to give back Bunnymund, you would gladly exchange yourself. Jack's yelling caught your attention.

"No! I will not have her be put at risk! He could kill her! I won't allow it!" You glare at him. _How dare he! What, do look like I can't take care of myself? I can easily kick some evil ass!_ Mim only shakes his head.

"It's a chance I am not willing to take either. We will find another way to get Bunnymund back." You fume and stomp off. Did they really think that you couldn't handle it? _Well, I guess they've got another thing comin'._

~~~The Next Day~~~

The others are awakened by a loud thump resonating throughout the small clearing in front of the house. Rushing in, fearing the worst, they are all shocked to see Bunny, gasping for breath on the ground.

"BUNBUN!" Tooth flies up to him, flitting about at taking in his wounds. "How did you get here?!" Bunny gasps out something, but is too breathless for the others to make out.

"Speak up, old friend! What is wrong?" North helps him to a sitting position. Jack goes pale, if thats possible, and flies to the river. Flying back to the group, he looks panicked.

"WHERE'S (y/n)?!" Bunny winces, finally able to draw in air.

"S-sh... She went... w-with him. She w-went with him, to s-save... me..."


	20. Chapter 17

**~~~Previously, in the Guardians' Guardian~~~**

 **"Speak up, old friend! What is wrong?" North helps him to a sitting position. Jack goes pale, if thats possible, and flies to the river. Flying back to the group, he looks panicked.**

 **"WHERE'S (y/n)?!" Bunny winces, finally able to draw in air.**

 **"S-sh... She went... w-with him. She w-went with him, to s-save... me..."**

~~And Now, Part 17~~

You open your eyes wearily, everything around you giant masses of gray. You dizzily shake your head, blinking and trying to sit up. Your body protests and you seriously feel like you just jumped out of a moving car. _During a NASCAR race with Kyle Busch behind the wheel._ You'd been in this dark, dank cell for who knows how long, the darkness your only companion in the silence. As your eyesight adjusts, you notice a dark man-shaped blob skulking toward you. Pitch smiles slowly as he kneels, brushing back your hair, revealing more of your face. You can't decide why but it makes you extremely comfortable, and NOT just cause it was Pitch. But, for some reason it felt... Natural. As natural as breathing. Like when Jack touched you.

"Hello, (f/n)," Pitch said softly, "You know, is it cold in here or are you just happy to see me?" He smiled again, a sickly grin that makes your stomach want to empty itself violently. _Hopefully, all over him._

"Don't flatter yourself." You spit at him with as much anger as you can muster into your frightened voice, "Who would ever be happy to see your disgusting face. Besides, I'm not here because I want to be. I'm here cause I had to save Bun." You find yourself on all fours, the weight of what you said crashing down on you. Bunny. _He had been in this- this place! The Guardian of Life and Rebirth had been held in this cavern of death..._

Pitch growls softly and stands, glancing at you, distaste, anger, and disappointment twisting his features even more than normal. _Is that even possible?_ He makes a gesture with his hand and whispers, "Night, love." He chuckles ruefully, "I would say 'Good dreams', but there aren't any left." He cackles as he walks away. You snarl at him as your arms start to wobble, your head dizzy again... Your arm bends and you fall... all progress you made in sitting up... lost to your overpowering exhaustion...

 ** _You walk in a beautiful meadow, Pitch at your side. He reaches over and grabs your hand and you lovingly allow him to. Part of your brain yells at you that this is wrong,_** ** _but how could that possibly be true? This is the love of my life!_** ** _You lean you head against his arm as you listen to him calmly talk to you about which pants are which, how they grow, a breeze blows softly ruffling your hair and it slowly turns into a gust, blowing both of you to the ground. You turn in horror as giant thunderclouds form. Pitch grabs you and helps you to your feet, pulling as the both of you run toward your cottage at the end of the meadow. You both reach the path as another gust topples the both of you, throwing you to the floor and Pitch off the path. You scream and run to him. His head had hit a rock and he was unconcious. You wail as you try to drag him back to the path, toward home; but as you do, his head starts bleeding worse and worse. Tears streak your face as you look at him, laying peacefully there on the road. You put your head on his chest, cursing yourself for not having doing this earlier, and listen for his heart beat. It never came. You scream as you throw yourself upon him, sobbing and screaming in fear, anger, sadness. You scream at the storm heading closer, winds picking up. You scream so loud, but you can't hear yourself over the roar of the wind surrounding you..._**

Someone's screaming. Someone's moving you as they scream. You open your eyes and you realize you're the one screaming. You cut yourself off and look around, eyes wet and throat sore. You shake your head as the dream you had came back to you, crushing you in sadness and guilt. Pitch glides up to you and offers you his hand, which you take gladly. He pulls you close and you sob into his chest, choking out the nightmare you just had. He murmurs consolingly and pets your hair, calming you down. He hooks your chin and tilts your face up, leaning down to you. You smile and stand on tip toe leaning toward him. Reality decided it was time to come crashing down on your head, reminding where you really were, how you actually got there, what this man had done before holding you in his arms. You scream and slap him full in the face, pushing him away roughly.

"Get your foul hands off me!" you scream at him as you back away, hitting a wall. You curse yourself for not having actually looked around before hand. _Well, I haven't been able to see since I've been here. Let's shed a little... light... on the subject._ You growl and feel a tingle in your fingertips as you had during all of your training exercises and you throw your hands up infront of you. A blast of light fills the cave and Pitch is thrown back, slamming into the wall across from you. You are slightly disappointed when you see his chest is still moving. _Dammit._

You sigh and stand, finally recovering from whatever Pitch did to you. You run like hell, until you realize you're basically in a bowl. You grab the wall at start to climb, then quickly change into a nimble squirrel making the task much much easier for yourself. you shift into Frostbite, missing this form, though you'd never admit THAT to anyone, and as you're about to sprint toward the light that MUST be a way out, a lasso latches around your neck and you're thrown backward. The lasso is cold and makes you feel hollow, and teeny tiny thorns protrude into your skin. You soon lose any urge to leave, any urge to move, and a second figure stands over you. Not Pitch but vaguely similar. You gaze at him as your sight goes blurry... and for some reason the only thing you really register... is the crown of tiny skulls... and large thorns wreathing his head...


	21. Chapter 18

**I must warn you, my dear sweet frosty waiting readers, that I am an easily influenced person. What happens around me changes me and the things I do. The same is with what I read. How I think or act or carry myself sways with the way a book makes me feel, the residual echo that it leaves on my brain. As you can possibly tell, I have read a book that sways away towards things that flitter about on pages, that don't lay solidly on the ground to guide you towards the end of a story. I must say The Slow Regard of Silent Things does rather seem to flit and float about. And so might this chapter. This so longingly awaited chapter that my brain has finally found buried deep within the darks of myself. I'm sorry if you feel disappointed by this, that you feel that it doesn't belong here, but this is my story. Even if I am describing your adventure, it is my story to tell however it must be told. And this is how it goes... I warn you, this is long and painful... Enter at your own peril...**

 **~~~Previously, in the Guardians' Guardian...~~~**  
 **You run like hell, until you realize you're basically in a bowl. You grab the wall at start to climb, then quickly change into a nimble squirrel making the task much much easier for yourself. you shift into Frostbite, missing this form - _not like I'll ever admit THAT to anyone_ \- and as you're about to sprint toward the light that MUST be a way out, a lasso latches around your neck and you're thrown backward. The lasso is cold and makes you feel hollow, and teeny tiny thorns protrude into your skin. You soon lose any urge to leave, any urge to move, and a second figure stands over you. Not Pitch but vaguely similar. You gaze at him as your sight goes blurry... and for some reason the only thing you really register... is the crown of tiny skulls... and large thorns wreathing his head...**

~~~And now, Part 18~~~  
The world was broken glass and fire in the air. Your (s/c) skin itched with the sensation of a thousand dancing fingers, your (h/c) hair snarled in knots and your tongue oily and tangy in your mouth. Your (e/c) eyes burned softly at the thought of opening, so you kept them sealed tightly shut. Your shoes were missing, as was the sensation of your jeans rubbing against your legs when you slowly pulled them closer to your chest. Moving your arms, your found them bare and exposed to the dirt floor you were curled on. Not wanting to admit it to yourself, you plaintively ignored the fact that you were clothed in naught but a silken sheet. It was not the same as the sheets in Mim's place, the white bed with the soft sheets and Mim in his high wingback chair. How long was it since I woke there?

Finding that you couldn't live in ignorance for the rest of your life, you begrudgingly lift yourself into a sitting position, clasping the sheet to your chest. The air was hot around you, the heat both dry and sweltering. The broken glass world echoed around you. The sharp, jagged edges of the walls protruded at odd intervals like broken teeth meant for killing and the floor was dirt and dust and mold all mixed in the dark. _Who the hell can live in such a place?_ What little you could see in the darkness, besides the walls and floor, froze the marrow in your bones. Skeletons. Broken bodies with nothing left but lacerated cross-hatched marks on the bones. Some had meat left hanging off the ends, little bits of flesh missed in whatever endeavor amassed in this place. _This is the worst kind of nightmare. Please tell me there's no deranged cannibal clown popping out of drain pipes. Or a giant man-eating thing._ You stumble to your quivering feet, legs shaking with malnutrition and weakness. _I must've been out for at least two days... Shit..._ You push the thoughts and fatigue away. What good would worrying do? Although, it did strike you as odd. Mim had said that it was impossible to starve or grow weak, that you weren't limited by such things. Then why were you so-

Someone was coming.

The fetid, heated air muffled the steps, but you could feel the presence the same as you could feel a sleeping person in a dark room. There was no sound, but you knew they were there. It drew closer as you slowly sat back down in the center of the room. You didn't know which direction the presence came from, so there was no point in hiding. It could come from any which place in the room. No point in running either, that would waste precious energy. Only thing to do was sit.

Schooling your face into a blank, indifferent slate, you straighten your spine and tuck the blanket around your breasts. Folding your hands in your lap, you restrain the jolt when a soft, cool hand lands on your shoulder.

"What're you doin' without your clothes on, Frostbite?" Spinning swiftly, you launch yourself at Jack. He holds you tightly as you bury your face in his neck. His sweet peppermint smell calms you, bringing a sweet smile to your face and a wetness to your (e/c) eyes. Pulling back, Jack wipes his thumbs under your eyes, drawing away the moisture. "Now, now, Snowflake, you didn't think I wouldn't let you leave like that, did you?" His soft smile pulls one from you and you press your lips to his. He cradles your face tenderly, assuring your frantic, lonely heart with his touch. _Screw what Mim says, he's mine._ You delve your hands into Jack's hair, the cool strands reminding you of your own disheveled state. You pull back slowly with a slight blush on your cheeks. Jack grins at you, a broad and bright thing, and kisses your nose. It goes red at the cold touch. With another touch of his lips to yours, he backs away and pulls you into another embrace. "C'mon, the others are waiting outside." With this, he wraps a secure arm around your shoulders and leads you through an invisible crack in the wall. _The others, the Guardians, Mim, Bunny. Do they hate me for trading myself in, are they hurt, has Pitch gotten to them? What about the other figure? Oh please, let everyone be okay!_

You both emerge into a wide underground cavern, a sliver of starlight dancing in from a fissure in the ceiling. The others are waiting at a lonely outcropping in the middle of a wide trench, a flat expanse around 60-70 feet across. You blush as you look down at your sheet and clench it tighter to yourself. Jack grins wolfishly down at you, and you blush harder and scowl at him. He winds an arm around your middle and you clutch his chest as he jumps into the air to join the others across the room.

Mim is the first to spot you, turning and stretching out his arms. You reluctantly leave Jack's embrace with a slight squeeze of his hand and move to Mim. His touch sends a rush of tingles through your body. _Deja vu, I swear._ It was just like when he had granted you your powers, and you immediately felt at ease. Strength flooded you limbs and light flooded your (e/c) eyes once again. You beamed at everyone, who all turned to encircle you in a giant group hug.

"Little One! I am so glad you are okay!" North's booming voice echoed around the cavern, his beard with the (f/c) ribbon tickling your nose. You giggle.

"Oh, my little butterfly, I am so so SOOOOO happy you're back! We have so much to talk about and the Baby Teeth are going to be super excited and-" Tooth was her little hyper self, flittering around and squeezing the breath from your lungs. Sandy just held your right hand with both of his and offered a wide, sweet smile. You grin at him in return, reaching out and stroking his sandy hair.

"'Ey, ya Gumbee! 'Oo gave you permission ta sacrifice yaself fo' me? Ya bloody gaffa', didja even think about 'ow worried we were?" Bunny's furry paws were wrapped tightly around your middle and his voice came from over your shoulder. Turning, you smile sweetly up at his worried eyes and plant a soft kiss on his soft nose. You giggle again as his eyes go wide, a pink tinge peeking out from under his fur.

"Hey! What about my kiss?" Jack is in front of you again, and you can see the relief in his stance, the joy of having you with all of them again. You extricate yourself from the group and wrap your arms around Jack's shoulders. He places chilly hands on your waist and goose-flesh riddles your skin.

Giving him a coy smile, you lean in close and whisper "What about it Popsicle-Breath? I thought you got a pretty good treat earlier." To your delight, a flush works it way into his cheeks. He just presses his forehead against your own, a cool brush of hair mingling with yours.

"Well, I believe I'll need another one, just to make sure I'm not dreaming." He murmurs, and you can't help but oblige. You kiss him deeply, humming in content when he slithers his arms tighter around you. Your fingers tug at the hairs at the base of his neck and he lets out a groan, causing you to smile. A chuckle from behind you pulls you from the blissful cloud that had descended on your senses. Jack is just as dazed, and you both turn to find the Guardians grinning widely, Tooth especially about to burst with giddiness. Mim is straight-faced, a strange glint in his eyes, and he turns away when you look to him. _I'm sorry Mim, but I can't fight it any longer. I'm not going to let him go, he's mine now._

You let your arms drop to hold Jack's hand, but the moment is broken when a loud _BOOOOM_ shakes the cavern. Jack turns wildly around, pulling you behind him, and the Guardians crowd around you in full battle formation. Mim is standing tall, a sword of pure moonlight glowing softly in his right hand. His gaze is fixed on he darkest corner of the room, the one place the starlight doesn't reach. Turning, you follow his gaze.

What you see pulls the world out from under your feet. A man was standing against the wall. His hair was dark, dark as anything, and long enough to lay across his shoulders. His body was powerfully built, thick and armored in black overlapping plates. His arms were crossed in front of his body, as if trying, and failing, to hold in the power and foreboding his being emanated. It was his eyes that struck you deepest. His eyes, they were so familiar, you knew those burning silver eyes.

"Would you leave my company so soon, (f/n)?" Your breath caught in your throat at his voice. It rumbled like thunder over a midnight plain. Granite wrapped in satin, it made you dizzy as you wracked your brain for answers. _How do I know this voice? Why do his eyes seem so fucking familiar? Who is this man to me?_ There was a hammer at his side, thick heavy iron that looked well worn. There were curious stains along one end...

"Don't speak to her. You don't have the right." The menace in the voice surprises you and you glance at Mim, catching the steel in in the burning gaze he sends toward the dark figure.

"Oh brother dear," he tuts, "I have every right. She is a guest in my humble home. You, however, are rather unwelcome." He grounds out these last words with a hatred so profound you flinch. _Brother... He called him brother... HADES..._ You watch, (e/c) eyes widening in horrified fascination as a blackness deeper than any shadow writhes around Hades' visage like an unholy halo. It gathers at the hammer's head, and he raises it high above his head with a roar that sends your head reeling.

As the echo bounces around the cavern, rebounding and growing louder, you spy ghastly creatures climbing onto the outcropping, hundreds upon hundreds swarming in. They're the same creatures as the ones you'd found in the Warren, although much less gooey and much more lethal. Their eyes glow like sickly yellow stars in their rotting heads. Their bodies are warped and unnatural, bent and twisted into nightmarish forms. They screech as they spot your group huddled in the middle of the expanse, rushing forward on grotesque, clawed feet.

Without thinking, you shift forms, growing in size rapidly and giving a terrifying roar at the coming onslaught. _A prehistoric lionness, nice choice._ You were larger than a grizzly bear's shoulder, and over half a length longer. You push your friends aside, leaping forward and swiping away the offensive creatures with a large grey paw. You rip and tear into blackened flesh, amassing a pile of bodies with both tooth and claw. Grabbing one in your enormous jaws, you whip your head savagely, ripping the wretched thing in half. Dropping the other remaining half, you let loose an ear-shattering roar of challenge, eyes burning at a grinning Hades.

"Feisty," he purrs, "I like that." You growl viciously. Turning and finding that you'd eliminated all of the largest dark minions, you shift again. Taking a leap, you land on four wolfy paws and take off to join the Guardians in the battle.

You see North swinging his two swords, roaring words in Russian, and jump off his back as he crouches so as to get a better angle at the throat of a long-necked creature. You drag it down with your teeth buried in its trachea, tearing out the windpipe as you pull away. You jump and grab Bunny's boomerang in your black muzzle and throw it. It kills three creatures on its way back to Bunny, and you move on to the next victim. Grabbing the achilles tendons of one, you snap your jaws shut and sever the flimsy muscle. The creature buckles to the side, its leg no longer able to support it. As the dark demon falls, you push it onto its back and rake your claws into the tender belly, gouging and tearing. The thing screams and twitches as it dies. Rising, you duck just as one lunges for you, only to have it tackle Tooth, who was hovering next to you. Snarling, you snatch the attacker by the back of its neck and fling it away, snapping the neck. Tooth gives you a wide smile of thanks, to which you give a lick on the face. She giggles and flies off, her Baby Teeth rallying to her battle cry. Sandy's whip cracks next to your head, wrapping around a fiend that had been creeping up on you. You bark in thanks, to which he tips a hat and resumes flinging the figure around like a toy. Growling low in your throat, you plunge once more into the fray.

Jack watches in amazement, his eyes staying glued to you as you seem to flow effortlessly across the battlefield. Your prowess astounds him, had you been in battle before? How long have you been this skilled? What had happened to you to make you this adept at killing? As he whirls to take down another foe, Mim flashes past him. He lunges for something, a desperate look on his face. When Jack turns again, he sees why. Hades is wielding his dark hammer directly towards you, sending a dark energy flare straight at your exposed back. He screams "NOOOOO!" And you spin to face the blackness-  
A white light flares from your body. A stream of energy collides with the jet of darkness, colliding with a _WHOOSH_ that sends everything within a ten foot radius flying backwards. Your wolf form triples in size, the black fur growing darker, the white tips glowing brightly. Streams of black and white light gather, coalescing into a monochromatic halo around you. Jack stares in awe...

Growling fiercely, you run at Hades, light trailing behind you. He's grinning madly, a deathly gleam in his eyes as he lifts his hammer again. You collide head-on, pushing him back with a ferocious snarl. His hands are in your fur, his grip tightening as he throws you through the air. Jack's wind catches you, you can tell by the peppermint smell, and you land softly on your side. _That's my Popsicle~_ Hades cackles maniacally and runs at you. You stand to meet him and he pummels your left side with his hammer, sending you yelping to the side. Jack yells, but you get up again, turning and latching onto Hades' right arm. Your teeth dig deep into flesh, you can feel bone beneath your crushing jaws. He howls, flinging you back and forth, and you grip tighter. Lifting your lower body, you swing your back legs onto his torso. He falls backwards and your front claws slash across his face, ripping skin and tearing flesh. Hades roars in pain and takes up his hammer. A bright light flashes and the dark metal head breaks away, falling solidly to the ground. He holds the broken handle, furious. A sudden look in his eyes gives you pause, and you don't have time to retreat as he flips the broke shaft and buries it in your chest...


	22. Chapter 19

**Heyyyyyy readers~ I feel I need to settle a couple scores here, so I'm putting up a new chapter! Enjoy, my little snowflakes! P.S.- I don't the ROTG series or anything but the plot and Mim & Hades! Or at least my versions of Mim and Hades. but you all know this~**

 **Beware, my snowflakes, this is long...**

 **~Previously, in the Guardians' Guardian~**

 **Hades cackles maniacally and runs at you. You stand to meet him and he pummels your left side with his hammer, sending you yelping to the side. Jack yells, but you get up again, turning and latching onto Hades' right arm. Your teeth dig deep into flesh, you can feel bone beneath your crushing jaws. He howls, flinging you back and forth, and you grip tighter. Lifting your lower body, you swing your back legs onto his torso. He falls backwards and your front claws slash across his face, ripping skin and tearing flesh. Hades roars in pain and takes up his hammer. A bright light flashes and the dark metal head breaks away, falling solidly to the ground. He holds the broken handle, furious. A sudden look in his eyes gives you pause, and you don't have time to retreat as he flips the broke shaft and buries it in your chest...**

~~Part 19~~

*Jack's POV*

Jack watched your prone form lie motionless on Mim's white bedding. Your beautiful (h/l/c) hair was limp and lifeless on the silky pillow, your (e/c) eyes still and hidden by (s/c) eyelids. His frigid hands held your left one in a gentle embrace, occasionally bringing it up to his mouth for a quick brush of his lips or to simply breathe in your scent. He gave up watching your chest for breathing, Mim had already explained your powers to him, but he still wished to see you move or show some signs of life.

Letting go a shaky breath, Jack lowered his forehead to rest on your bare arm. He closed his eyes, thinking back to when you had first kissed him all that time ago in the abandoned room at the North Pole. He'd been surprised, but not against it. Ever since he first saw you in the snowy meadow, he was entranced by you. Even if he didn't know it at the time, he'd bonded with you when you'd been in wolf form. After he found you again two years later, after his memories of you were restored, he was determined to stay by your side - not that you made that easy for him. He chuckled at that. You were so stubborn, he found it one of your more endearing qualities. _If only she would wake up..._ Jack was roused from his thoughts of you by a pale hand landing on his shoulder.

"We need to talk." Manny ushered him from the bedside and steered Jack towards a simple white door he hadn't noticed before. There wasn't a wall, just a white door with an antique brass knob sitting in it's frame. But when Manny turned the knob and pushed it open, the white landscape around them became smaller.

The other side of the door revealed a cavernous atrium, all intricate glass panels and shining silver metalwork. The panes at the top were tilted slightly open, letting in a cooling midnight breeze. And midnight it was. The stars and solar system were flaring like searchlights in the black ink of space, the Earth like a stand-in Moon in the distance, all lit up with the tiny yellow specks of humanity littered across its face. Jack could see the clouds of the Milky Way turning space a different shade of black, the faint sheen of the sunlight bouncing off the other planets.

It was serene. All that silence. All that stillness. Like the Universe was holding its breath, waiting for something. _Is it waiting for her, just like the rest of us... Like me?_ Jack felt himself become colder at the thought of you never waking up. The ice was cracking along the ground beneath his feet, spreading spindles out across the floor. Shard-like snowflakes fluttered around in the air, restless and frantic. Jack's hands grew a thin layer of frost and he raked them through his hair.

Moving from Manny's hard hand on his shoulder, he paces the room. _She's gonna wake up, right? She's gonna wake up and she'll say something weird and she'll give me that look that she gets when she's trying to ignore the way she's looking at me and then I'll..._ That dark thought breaks through Jack's mental monologue, and ice bristles on his shoulders. _She's gonna wake up she's gonna wake up she-_ He's stopped in his tracks by Manny's voice. "She's going to wake up. There's nothing to fret about in there." Jack releases a heavy breath and feels the ice and frost swirling around him turn soft with relief. _She's going to be okay._ "(F/n)'s strong, she's been through much during her existence. This won't be anything more than another chapter." This gives Jack pause. It sounded like Manny was saying...

"What... This has happened... before?" He stares Manny straight in the eye, confused. Manny just stares back, calm, quiet... resigned? Like he's given up on trying to hold back the way of things and has decided to just let them go.

"Many times, Jack. Ever since she was... chosen. She's been on Earth again and again throughout the ages, a protector and guardian far surpassing any I have come to know. A true warrior of the happiness and peace left in that world. And again and again... She always ends up the same. Gone. Waiting. Listening for the call to arms, the Reveille. And like clockwork she rises again to fulfill her duty, to protect her charges. For thousands of years... I've watched her for thousands of years... And she still doesn't remember..." His last lines drop low in the air, soft, more as if they'd fallen out than having been spoken. But Jack heard them. And his heart stuttered.

"Do you mean she-"

"(F/n) won't remember anything Jack. Not me, not the Guardians, not even you. She doesn't even remember her own home anymore, the one she took centuries to make with her own hands. Each cycle it gets worse, (f/n) forgets more and more. Soon, I think (f/n) might just forget why she even wakes in the first place." Jack's head spun and the world seemed to tilt. He took a deep lung-full of air, hoping to fill in the cracks that were widening in his heart. _But I finally got her back, and she finally stopped running away, I can't let her go, I won't let her forget, I... A_ deep, subconscious tugging feeling welled its way up through the cracks in Jack's heart. It gnawed at his insides and he felt his head pound with the effort to not unleash a ferocious roar of possessive anger. You were HIS. He wouldn't let you go to ANYONE. Not ONE thing could keep YOU from HIM. This was foreign to Jack, but also right. He felt connected to you, something intimate and tangible that you'd both sensed long ago but had been hesitantly tip-toeing around ever since you'd met. He could feel it now, plain as day, like you were meant for him. But now that feeling was a red, angry droning in his ears. He was going to LOSE YOU. And THAT... wasn't gonna happen...

He stomped back and forth furiously, lifting off the ground and racing from wall to wall, just barely brushing the windows as he stormed past and leaving them rattling in his wake. A strong wind took up the room, gaining speed and strength until the windows were bowing inward and outward with hurricane-forces manipulating them like simple pieces of paper.

Jack didn't even notice the change, racing faster, gaining momentum and speed, hurling himself this way and that. Finally he flew straight up to the top of the atrium, his bare toes landing on the tiny Moon-shaped glass cutting, before launching himself straight back down toward the ground. The ceiling shattered, glass raining down with the raging ice shards and snow following in his wake. Jack was roaring, a silver-tipped bullet that cut through the maelstrom and swooped up just before colliding with the floor. He still landed hard, leaving craters with his feet that soon closed over with ice. His ice-blue eyes were burning with cold-fire, a pain and suffering buried so deep they were almost violet. He was on the brink, teetering on the edge of disaster, and all it took was one look at the Man in the Moon.

Jack imploded.

Your POV  
You wake silently to a world not so silent. A slight shift of your body confirms your suspicions: your head is pounding and your body aches like an elephant had sat on you. The world is rather clean and soft. Opening your (e/c) eyes, the world is also white. And cold. You frown, your (h/c) eyebrows scrunching in confusion. _For some reason, I like the thought of being cold._ You feel something slipping away, just at the edge of your mind. It flutters softly like mist fading over a lake. You reach out to it and it floats just out of your reach. Shaking your (h/c) in confusion, you swing your legs out of the bed you found yourself in and slowly rise on shaky legs.

The world is a bit wobbly and the cold seems to be coming from behind a door far off to your left. It stands alone, not fixed into a wall, and yet you can see through the slight crack from it being left ajar. Shuffling over, you spy fluffy white snowflakes spinning wildly around just inside. Raised voices echo from the room on the other side. Curious, you push open the white wooden door and poke your (h/c) head through. What you see gives you pause... And a massive headache.

A boy, maybe around your age, is floating in the air. Literally just floating there. Snow is swirling around him, cold air gusting like a vortex as he yells at the white man standing stock still in the middle of the room. Glancing around, you see that it's more than just a room. Like a greenhouse, the walls and ceiling are made entirely of glass panels. The extremely high ceiling, in contrast with the ceilingless room you've just vacated, is cathedral-like in design; high and dome-like with a small central rotunda rising in the center. Beyond the glass hall is a myriad of stars and galaxies on full display. You would have stopped and stared at the awesome sight, but the shouting drew you back to the two figures in the middle of the room.

"WHAT HAS SHE DONE TO DESERVE THIS?! WHAT HAVE I DONE?! TO LIVE OUT A LIFE OF NOTHING BUT BATTLES AND THEN LOSE EVERYTHING ONLY TO START AGAIN! WHAT KIND OF LIFE IS THAT?! DAMMIT MANNY I LOVE HER AND NOW SHE WON'T EVEN KNOW MY FACE! HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM ABOUT THIS?!" The boy in the blue hoodie was screaming, his eyes so full of pain. _Shit, please don't cry!_ You couldn't bear the thought of this magical guy crying, for some reason it tore at your heart. The white man, 'Manny', gave him a sad look, pain also reflected in his milky white eyes. _Is he blind? No, he's watching Popsicle-Breath - Wait what?_

"I know precisely how you feel, Jack." The name made your heart flutter, your head pound. "I've felt that way ever since she was chosen. I've loved her ever since the beginning, but no forces of the Universe can make her remember me. The REAL me. The 'me' I was before I was chosen. If she ever does, who knows what kind of pain she'll go through." _I have a sneaking suspicion that this 'she' they're talking about is me... This isn't gonna be pretty, is it?_

You clear your throat and walk into the room. Both freeze and turn slowly towards you. The boy, Jack, has eyes like glowing glaciers, like those pictures of floating icebergs out at sea. His hair is a silvery white, seemingly created of snow itself. You know somehow that it's just as soft as newly fallen snow, and just as cold. He flies straight at you and takes the both of you to the ground, him rolling so that he takes the brunt of the fall. Jack holds you close to his chest, his head buried in your neck. You can feel his icy tears like wet snowflakes melting on your skin. Your heart jerks and your head is spinning but you cling to him just as tightly. You run your fingers through his hair, humming soothing words into his ear. Looking up, you find Manny giving you a shockingly pained expression. The hurt on his face makes you hurt as well, and this combined with the emotions swirling inside of you and your pounding head makes for an even worse confusion than you're already dealing with.

"What in the Sweet Hell is going on? Do I know you? Why do I feel like my head is going to explode?" You turn to Jack, sensing him stiffen as you lay out your questions, "And why do I feel I know you, but I don't? And why are you hugging me? Why am I hugging YOU? WHAT THE EVER LOVING FUCK IS GOING ON?!" As you release your pent up frustration, at the situation, at your pounding head, at the Universe in general, a wave of white light mixed with black streaks resounds from your body and sweeps across the room. Jack is thrown off you, and Manny is shoved to the floor. You are sitting there in wide-eyed shock. "D-did I just... Do that thing?" Manny slowly rises from the floor, rubbing his head and nodding. You gulp. _Okay. I can do things. Am I a mutant? Should I go apply for the X-Men? Hooolyyy shitfuck._ "Wha-" you swallow against the dryness in your throat, "What exactly am I? Does it have to do with what you all were screaming about earlier?" A pause, and he nods again. Jack walks back towards you and sits down to your left, swinging an arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his jacket clad chest. Your head rests lightly against his collar-bone, and you sigh at the fluttery feeling in your stomach. _Confusion, thy name is (f/n)._ Manny straightens and pulls a chair from thin air. Coming closer, he plops the chair to your right and settles in. He had a resigned look to him, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Leaning his elbows onto his knees, he speaks...

 **If you don't remember the Interludes from previously, now would be a good time to read then again. If you do remember them... Then I guess you're making some connections...**

You sit stock still, eyes wide in horror and your head practically busting at the seams. You sway, eyes bulging. _What? What what? Whatwhatwhatwhatwhat? This can't POSSIBLY be real!_ You look to Jack, and his face lurches. He grabs you tighter and pulls you fully against him, rocking you back and forth while holding your head against his shoulder. You hear an odd muffled noise, like the keening of a dying bird. _Wait... That noise is me..._ You realize with a small movement of your head that you're crying. Large, wet tears turning to frost on Jack's jacket. After a while you pull away just enough to rest your forehead aginst his, staring deep into his blue eyes. He stares right back into yours. You feel that mist over the lake in your mind, and it's drifting further and further away. You lean in until your nose touches his, your breath ghosting over his lips as you breathe out...

"Who are you to me?"

 **The end...**  
 **of** _The Guardians' Guardian_


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